How is partnership in Christ practiced in your ministries and fellowships? - Daily Reflections June 29,2015

A CALL TO PARTNERSHIP IN CHRIST

 

Today we commemorate the death of the two great Apostles — Peter and Paul. Tradition holds that both of them died around this time, on the same day, in Rome, around the years 64-67 AD, during the anti-Christian persecution of the emperor Nero. Peter was crucified upside down, as he indicated to his torturers, at what is now the Vatican. Paul, a Jew but a citizen of Rome, was given a faster death: by beheading.

       We reflect on the partnership of these two Apostles whom we consider as important pillars of the Catholic faith especially:

       Their strong faith that led them to martyrdom flowed from personal experiences with Jesus. Peter was, of course, one of the Twelve who witnessed Jesus’ earthly ministry, death and resurrection. Paul had a personally significant faith-experience with Jesus on the road to Damascus (cf Acts 9).

       They learned to complement and respect each one’s call and mission. Peter preached and taught greatly among the Jews; Paul evangelized non-Jews. They recognized these special calling for each one during the Council in Jerusalem (cf Galatians 2:1-10). The work started out by Jesus was something too big for one person to continue doing. The Holy Spirit distributes various charisms to different persons for this purpose.

       They learned to serve Jesus, according to Jesus’ terms. Jesus Himself told Peter: when Peter was young, he went where he wanted. Now someone ties him and he will have to allow himself to be led (cf John 21:14-19). Paul began to see that his way of witnessing was not just through active preaching as he wanted. But through his imprisonments and death. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How is partnership in Christ practiced in your ministries and fellowships? What do you find striking in the life of Peter and of Paul? How do they inspire you? How ready are you to offer your life for the Christian faith?

 

As Peter and Paul witness to You, Lord, help me to be a witness to others, too.

Try to examine how you pray. Which one describes your prayer: prayer with expectant faith, prayer with insistent faith, or prayer with resignation? - Daily Reflections June 26,2015

JESUS CANNOT RESIST OUR SUBMISSION

 

There were so many people who were sick and were in need when Jesus was walking through Palestine during His public ministry. God though He was, He did not cure all. He did not hold a huge healing crusade and He did not go from north to south on a healing tour. Had He done so, He would have converted the whole of Palestine, the whole of the Roman Empire and the world.

       First, our Lord Jesus wanted to emphasize that this earth is not our utopia. The fulfillment of the Kingdom of God is not here, but in another life. Likewise, Jesus wanted to show that God’s power did not work in an automatic way, disregarding human choice and freedom. God does not supplant our humanity. Out of love, God initiates but we have to welcome Him and open up to His invitation.

       The poor leper in today’s Gospel could have attracted Jesus’ attention by His unique way of coming up to Jesus. He said: “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.” This is humility. The Book of Sirach (25:2) states that not all people who are sick or poor or needy are automatically humble. There is “a beggar who is proud.” But the words of the leper reveal not only a humble beggar. They reveal a person fully submitted to God’s will. Again, the leper said to Jesus: “Lord, if You will, You can make me clean.” He had a disposition that was very much like Jesus who says before the Father: “Not My will, but Your will be done.” No wonder, the leper’s prayer was irresistible for Jesus. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Try to examine how you pray. Which one describes your prayer: prayer with expectant faith, prayer with insistent faith, or prayer with resignation? Which kinds of situations make you struggle with accepting?

 

Help me to trust You so much, Lord, that I will always seek that Your will be done.

 

How do you measure maturity in one’s Christian faith? - Daily Reflections June 25,2015

DIFFERENT KINDS OF BELIEVERS   When we were studying Classical Philosophy, particularly Philosophy of Religion, we came to know about different variations of unbelievers. There are agnostics who believe that the existence or non-existence of God is currently unknown or unknowable and cannot be proven. A weaker form of this might be defined as simply a lack of certainty about the existence or non-existence of a Supreme Being. There are atheists who reject the belief in the existence of God. Strong atheists maintain the position that there is no God. Weak atheists simply have no belief that any God exists. Apatheists, on the other hand, do not care whether any Supreme Being exists.        A meditative reading of our Gospel passage today makes me realize that we can also have different kinds of believers:        Ritualists or Pietists = believers who are so much taken by the performance of delicate liturgies, even being too scrupulous about details or “rubrics” of prayers and rites. Pope Francis refers to these persons as the ones who have turned the Church into a museum.        Theatricists = believers who equate authentic faith as one that must always be accompanied by charismatic manifestations of prophecies, miracles, healings and other mighty works. They love to transform worship into a theatrical experience.        Activists = believers who are absorbed about showing faith as an active social agent of change. Pope Francis refers to these when he speaks about religious who have turned into simple social workers.        Mystics = believers who have become not just religious but spiritual. The faith has become their bedrock of living. They are able to integrate what they believe as truly part of their every thought, word and action —and so they are able to witness to this faith with stability and consistency in the midst of anything. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP   REFLECTION QUESTIONS: How do you measure maturity in one’s Christian faith? Can you see yourself as someone who is like the person Jesus speaks about in the Gospel — someone who has built his or her house upon a rock?   You are the Rock on which I stand, Lord. I put my faith and hope in You.

In what way do you need a boost in your hope and joy? - Daily Reflections June 24,2015

HOW ABOUT A SIX-MONTH ADVENT?   Today’s feast about the birth of John the Baptist recalls for us the words of the angel to Mary (Luke 1:36). As the heavens announced to Mary about her being the mother of Jesus the Messiah, her cousin Elizabeth, long-time barren, was on her sixth month of pregnancy. So whatever event, cycle or mood of life you are in, we are six months away from another Christmas celebration!        What do the prospect of another Christmas, and the celebration of the birth of John the Baptist bring for our prayerful thoughts and musings? Let us imagine the situation in these events. Mary’s reality was Nazareth: a very poor, peasant village located north of Jerusalem, away from the trade and traffic of the Sea of Galilee, an isolated village located on the hills. For the more affluent priestly family of Zechariah and Elizabeth, they have been living with less and less hope for a child, an heir. In fact, they may have accepted that their union is the end of the line. Both of them were old and Elizabeth was barren. This situation was regarded by the folks of the Old Testament as a “curse.” Suddenly, a new turn of events. The Scriptures state the message for us. For Mary, the angel reveals: “For with God, nothing will be impossible” (Luke 1:37, RSV Edition). For Zechariah and Elizabeth, the conclusion of today’s Gospel has it: “For the hand of The Lord was with him (John).” John’s name literally means “God has shown favor!”        Let us not wait for the Christmas holiday rush and then figure out what true Advent spiritual preparation is. Let us begin our personal Advent today. Whatever it is that the days of our lives have left us with, let hope and joy be renewed in our hearts. God is here. He is working out favors, like what He did for Mary, Zechariah and Elizabeth. Open your hearts. The hand of God is upon us. Nothing is impossible. Let us begin praying — “Maranatha” (Come, Lord, come). Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP   REFLECTION QUESTIONS: In what way do you need a boost in your hope and joy? Ask this of God in your prayer. How about making a more relaxed Christmas preparation this year? What can you start doing now?   Help me honor You in my Christmas preparations for this year, Lord. Show me the way.

In what ways have self-discipline and self-control shaped you, your character, and your work? - Daily Reflections June 23,2015

SELF-DISCIPLINE   During my 23-day stay in Japan in 2014, during which time I finished writing my assignments for Sabbath 2015 in the course of giving two batches of eight-day retreat to priests and sisters of our congregation, one way I relaxed and kept my sanity was to go in and out of Japanese department stores and groceries located along the main street that goes from Yotsuya to Shinju-ku in Metro Tokyo. It would be a good one-hour walk, going from and coming back to the convent at Wakaba district. I would always feel frustrated whenever I try to look for a T-shirt for my size. The Japanese sizes are relatively small and it was unusual to find an XL or XXL. Japanese department stores mostly have only L and LL, and they are, as I have said, sized rather smaller than conventional.        I tried to seek an explanation to what I observed. I found a really interesting one. This thing about the available sizes of clothes is a strategy to keep the Japanese people healthy and be mindful about their weight. They have to be conscious that clothes available in the market only fit for slender bodies. In fact, compared to places I have gone in the United States, I rarely saw obese people in Tokyo. What a national discipline! And really, one thing that struck me about the Japanese is their strong sense of personal and communal discipline.        The narrow door in today’s Gospel is Jesus’ own way of stressing that Christian life also involves discipline. There is no true discipleship without discipline. (Notice that the two words have common first two syllables.) As regards our faith-life and spirituality, we need to control ourselves — our inclinations, our attitudes, our passions and emotions. We also need to be consistent with our prayers, our meditations, our spiritual reading, our time for study, our participation in community worship and activities, our Eucharist. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP   REFLECTION QUESTIONS: In what ways have self-discipline and self-control shaped you, your character, and your work? What part of your person and of your lifestyle do you find hardest to discipline and control? Why do you think this is so?   Grant me the fruit of self-control, Lord, so that I may become more like You.

Are you, to a greater part, a “crowd pleaser”? How has this affected your decision-making and commitments? What enlightenment does today’s Gospel give you? - Daily Reflections June 22,2015

A WAY TO BE FREE AND FEARLESS

 

I have always taken the words of Jesus in our Gospel as declaration of the Christian ethics of being careful and fair in judging people. I followed the traditional way of reading through the words of Jesus as indications for the deeper virtues of mercy and charity.

       What I read about the ministry of Jesus in the Jesuit priest James Martin’s book, Jesus: A Pilgrimage (HarperCollins: 2014), makes me rethink the words of Jesus — that is, from the point of view of His method of doing His mission. Jesus did not preach with “detached” and “indifferent” words. His words and wisdom embodied His very manner of living each day. He did not preach what He never did in the first place.

       There is no doubt that Jesus is mercy and compassion in person. He truly cared, with pure intention, about helping people. He was immersed in the situations, especially of the poor. However, when it came to His decision on courses of action and on values, He did not do these to please people. He cared less about what people will say or how they will react. He was free and unafraid once He is able to discern what is the Heavenly Father’s will.

       A person who loves to judge others is a person who looks at others too much. The person judges first, for he is afraid of being judged first. He is many times too concerned about “likability” and “acceptability.”

       Taken from a fresh angle and a new light, Jesus’ words in today’s Gospel are a call to be unfraid and free — by being independent of society’s usual way of putting up expectations and social conventions. True freedom of action and values comes not when we allow other’s opinions to dictate on us what is right; rather, freedom comes by being true to oneself as one stands before God. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you, to a greater part, a “crowd pleaser”? How has this affected your decision-making and commitments? What enlightenment does today’s Gospel give you?

 

Dear Lord, help me to set my eyes on You, and not to please people. Enable me to follow You.

What things and issues make you anxious? How does this anxiety affect you? What is the Lord telling you? Do you fear death? Why? - Daily Reflections June 20,2015

CONQUERING THE EVIL CALLED “ANXIETY”

 

Four times, Jesus refers to anxiety in the excerpt that we read today from the Sermon on the Mount of Beatitudes. Jesus defines what kinds of anxiety is He referring to as “evil.” There is the worry about life (its past sins, its present concerns, its future demands and outcomes). This is oftentimes the ill experience of people who are so concerned about being self-righteous. They end up with disturbed spirits and scrupulous consciences that often make them resort to a lot of external religious pietism. There is the worry about necessities for life (food and drink). This affects people who are gluttons. They often end up obese. There is the worry about one’s body (appearances and looks). This is the anxiety of those who are too vain. They often resort to all kinds of aesthetic treatments and then end up looking “too made up to the point of not looking human anymore.” Jesus says there is also the “evil  anxiety” of worrying too much about one’s health and lifespan. This includes the phenomena of people drinking all kinds of supplements, vitamins, herbals — resorting to all kinds of therapies. They chase after the newest “health secret.” Underneath their worry about lifespan is a fear of death.

       Jesus prescribes a “faith solution” to all the above forms of anxiety.

       First, always meditate on the flow of nature and creation. Realize that God looks after everything — in His Providence. Second, be inspired by natural beauty. Nature, in its random unpredictable composition, carries with it a certain artistic balance and harmony. Third, know that nothing is impossible with God. Fourth, live each day well — with joy and with your best. Don’t drink and gulp but savor each moment. Fifth, do not overextend yourself. Know your limits. Learn to make a “cut-off” in your works and concerns. Tomorrow is in God’s mercy and grace. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What things and issues make you anxious? How does this anxiety affect you? What is the Lord telling you? Do you fear death? Why?

 

Calm my fears and anxieties, Lord. Strengthen my faith in Your sovereignty.

 

Try to spend your prayer moments in thanksgiving to God for physical abilities and spiritual faculties that He has given to you - Daily Reflections June 19,2015

EYES OF FAITH   I am a diabetic. Probably it is genetics. My mother has it. In a way, this is also aggravated by the pressures that I am subject to. There is the pressure of having to work in an apostolate of writing and publishing. We often say among writers and editors: “Deadlines are killing times.” There is the pressure of having to run after schedules of Masses and talks — in the midst of a bad traffic. There are the pressures of having to work and live with fellow religious who, though consecrated, are still very human. In the midst of all these, my doctor and doctor-friends remind me: Diabetes has many complications. Among them, the possibilities of deterioration and loss of sight.        I dread to think of a day when I will have to live without the use of my eyes. God forbid. Of all the senses, I treasure my eyes the most. I wake up each day and I am able to know it is day because with my eyes I see the difference between light and darkness. I am able to attend to my needs and do things fast because my eyes enable me to search for things I need. I am able to move fast because my eyes enable me to see myself, my surroundings, and my direction. I am able to smile whenever I see colors and shapes because I see them. I am able to respond and help others since my eyes make me aware of their presence and their predicaments. I know beauty because I see.        The eyes is to the body as faith is to the soul. Faith makes the human soul see the difference between good and bad; it makes the human spirit soar up to transcendence. Faith enables the person to see others as brethren to love and care for, not just for humanitarian reasons, but for deeper bonds. Faith enables us to see everything as beautiful and meaningful because God is working in all things. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP   REFLECTION QUESTION: Try to spend your prayer moments in thanksgiving to God for physical abilities and spiritual faculties that He has given to you. In what way does your faith enable you to see more in life?   How great are Your ways, O Lord. I cannot thank You enough for Your goodness to me.

What favorite and personal address do you use for God? - Daily Reflections June 18,2015

ABBA

 

There are so many stories about St. John XXIII, the “Good Pope,” who was the first to break the long tradition of having the Popes live like “prisoners” of the Vatican protocol. The “Good Pope John,” as he was fondly called, also started receiving dignitaries more often in audience. One time, he had to receive then First Lady of the United States, Madame Jacqueline Kennedy. The Pope practiced how he ought to address her formally, but when the door opened for the audience, the jolly old St. John XXIII simply  blurted: “Jackie!”

       The Jews loved to show their great reverence for God by avoiding to pronounce His solemn name, the name He revealed to Moses in the burning bush. They use such titles as “Elohim,” “Adonai,” “El Elyon,” etc. Jesus tells us in today’s Gospel: Stay simple, be conversational, be spontaneous. Just say: Father... Abba... Daddy. Then enumerate what you need:

       “Hallowed be Thy name” = Do great things for us today; reveal Your true Fatherhood.

       “Thy kingdom come” = Be with us, be present among us.

       “Thy will be done” = Give us Your guidance; tell us what You want.

       “Give us this day our daily bread” = Provide for us as any good father does. We expect from You all that we need today.

       “Forgive us our debts” = We are not perfect children, but You are our Father. Understand and forgive us.

      “Lead us not into temptation” = We trust in You. A father wants nothing wrong for any of his children.

       “Deliver us from evil.” = Be our protection and refuge.

       I feel sad when people say the “Our Father” as a formula. It is reduced to another rigid, artificial and impersonal way of talking with God. The “Our Father” is a guide to construct our personal conversation with God. Fr. Domie Guzman SSP

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What favorite and personal address do you use for God? How did you come to this way of addressing Him? What is your best time and your best place to pray with spontaneity to God?

 

Abba, Father, reveal Yourself more deeply to me.

 

What motivates you to be faithful and fervent with your prayers and other religious practices? - Daily Reflections June 17,2015

GOD LOOKS BEYOND APPEARANCES

 

The Gospel proclamation for today reminds us of Ash Wednesday. This leads me to recall a memorable Ash Wednesday experience last year. An unexpected need for a retreat facilitator for the growing community of the Daughters of St. Paul in Pakistan made me go to their community in Lahore, where I had been 22 years ago. I arrived in Lahore via Bangkok on February 19 and celebrated the beginnings of Lent in that country. During the Ash Wednesday Mass that I had with the nuns, we had the imposition of ashes on the forehead, but right after the liturgical celebration — before going out into the streets — we had to erase our cross of ashes. In contrast, I thought of how Filipinos in Manila and elsewhere in the Philippines try to preserve their cross of ashes the whole day.

       It is a good thing, and we must be grateful, that we in the Philippines are able to publicly celebrate our Christian faith. However, as the Gospel proclaims, what is more important is the congruence of our external acts of piety with what is in our hearts and minds. God sees what is deep within us. He cannot be simply taken by appearances.

       Returning to my story about my Lenten experience in Pakistan, I found out another interesting detail. They may not be so keen about keeping their cross of ashes on their foreheads, but their way of fasting and abstinence for Ash Wednesday shames the Filipino way. Having to witness to the Christian faith before Muslims, who are accustomed to fast from everything from sunrise to sunset for the whole month of Ramadan, the devout Catholics in Pakistan fast and abstain from sunrise to sunset of Ash Wednesday by taking only tea — even when on a social call. Fr. Domie Guzman SSP

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What motivates you to be faithful and fervent with your prayers and other religious practices? Do you pray in a “secret place”? What is your favorite place for personal prayer where you can truly pray well? Why?

 

Help me to live holy, Lord, especially when no one is looking.

What Gospel image of Jesus helps you to be forgiving? Why? Try to meditate on this Gospel image more often - Daily Reflections June 16,2015

THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN LOVE AND LIKE   I love our Classical Philosophy class with the late Fr. Josefino Javellana. He led us to critical thinking to the point that we had to be very discerning about our choice of words. He made us realize that words — even synonyms — have shades of meanings and nuances. For example, there are differences between the meaning of existing, living and being. To exist is simply to be there, to live is to undergo the processes of life, to be is to attain one’s purpose and meaning in life. I began to believe that one problem of today’s generation is this loss of critical thought. It is not merely being pilosopo (argumentative) about everything. It leads us to reflect.        The difficulty to love in the Christian way, for instance, may be caused by a mistaken notion that to love is the same as to like. They have similarities, but they have shades of differences, too.        “Like” is more properly for inanimate things; “love” is for living things.        “Like” is based on benefits of pleasure or satisfaction that one derives from an object of liking; “love” is based on deeper, transcendent reasons, or can even be unexplainable and unconditional.        “Like” aims to grasp, and to possess the object of liking; “love” beholds the other.        “Like” is often an expression of something physical, material and sensual; “love” is spiritual.        This basic philosophical distinction of “love” and “like” can contribute a lot to our understanding of Jesus’ words today: “Love your enemies.” Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP   REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What makes persons easily “likeable” for you? What makes people highly “unlovable” for you? Reevaluate and pray over your list. What Gospel image of Jesus helps you to be forgiving? Why? Try to meditate on this Gospel image more often.   Help me to be more discerning, Lord, and to live a life of love for Your sake.

Who are the “vocation directors” who helped you see your calling and mission in life? Thank God for them in your prayer time today - Daily Reflections June 11,2015

FIRST VOCATION DIRECTOR

 

I had always expressed my desire to be a priest, but I never thought that one can be a priest in two ways — by serving in a parish (diocesan priesthood) or by becoming a priest in a religious congregation. Further, I never knew what differentiated religious congregations. I am forever thankful to the late Fr. Nory Vasquez, long-time vocation director of the Blessed Sacrament Fathers and Brothers at Sta. Cruz Church in Manila. He told me that since I started a course in A.B. Journalism at U.P. Diliman, and I seemed to have the aptitude for writing, it would be best for me to discern a priestly vocation with the Society of St. Paul, a congregation of priest and brothers dedicated to the spread of the Gospel in the world of communications.

       St. Barnabas, whom we commemorate today, might as well be regarded as a “first vocation director” in the early Church. Barnabas was gifted with a generous spirit, and he first came to be known as a Levite who lived in Cyprus. He sold his field and gave the money to the Apostles (Acts 4:36- 37). True to his name, which means “son of encouragement,” he built up Paul’s vocation as an Apostle, and introduced Paul to the Apostles in Jerusalem (Acts 9:27). He was sent by the Apostles from Jerusalem to guide the fledgling community of Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:22). He then revived Paul’s vocation as a teacher of the Gentile Christians (Acts 11:25), and he accompanied Paul in his first mission journey (Acts 13:2). Later, differences over the issue of John (also called Mark) joining the mission made Barnabas discern and decide that it was time to simply let Paul go on with his own mission plans (Acts 15:38).

       As good vocation directors ought to do, St. Barnabas allowed the Apostle Paul to follow God’s calling for himself. Barnabas never stifled the Spirit’s work in Paul. Paul eventually surpassed Barnabas in missionary reputation, though both of them shared the life of holiness. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Who are the “vocation directors” who helped you see your calling and mission in life? Thank God for them in your prayer time today. Are you comfortable in co-discerning with others their own vocation and mission?

 

Lord, may You bless the people who led me closer to You and the call You’ve given me.

 

How do you want to be known in line with your life contribution to the work of building the Faith and the Church? - Daily Reflections June 10,2015

A NEVER-ENDING TASK   The foundress of the Assumption Sisters, St. Marie Eugenie, once said, “We bring our lives as stones to be placed on top of others’ stones to continue building the story of faith.” Her words are prophetic and they echo Jesus’ words today: “I have come not to abolish... But to fulfill...”          The task of fulfilling God’s designs in the world and of building the Kingdom of God amidst humanity started with the patriarchs, the prophets, the kings and the priests. Jesus and the early Church brought a definitive character to this divine plan. But we continue to realize Jesus’ mission through our lives until the “new heaven and new earth” arrives according to God’s Plan (cf. Revelations 21:1-2).        I regard the colorful and interesting history of the ministries of the modern popes in this light. Pope Leo XIII began to bridge the gap between the Gospel and new social realities with his initiatives about the social teachings of the Church. St. John XXIII, though elected in old age, brought renewal to the Church and the Gospel message by convening Vatican Council II. Pope Paul VI oversaw the conclusion and application of the renewal called for by Vatican Council II. He also brought the Christian faith closer to many nations by being the first pope to visit nations. The short papacy of the smiling Pope John Paul I brought the Gospel closer to the hearts of many by his spontaneous ways. St. John Paul II showed how the Gospel and the Church can be a strong persuasive force to tear down godless and oppressive ideologies and political systems. Pope Benedict XVI began to relate the Gospel values to post-modern times, and he showed how the papacy can continue to be a radical witness to the Gospel value of authority as truly a service. Pope Francis is now making the Church see how the Gospel values of simplicity and love of the poor are very much alive and applicable even in high places. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP   REFLECTION QUESTIONS: What are you doing to continue Jesus’ mission of fulfilling God’s plan of salvation? How can your life be a “living stone?” How do you want to be known in line with your life contribution to the work of building the Faith and the Church? Let me be another stone,   O Lord, that will build the Kingdom that has no end.

Are you true to your important role as “nourisher” of faith in others? What do you do along this line? -Daily Reflections June 9,2015

WE ARE IMPORTANT   I write this reflection in the midst of a surprise visit to our Pauline sisters in Pakistan. I had been here in January 1993, when the Italian pioneers of the Daughters of St. Paul asked me to preach a retreat to three novices preparing for their first profession of religious vows. These three were their first vocation after almost 10 years of not having novices. Now, I can only thank God for how the community has grown in the number of young Pakistani sisters.        The Rawalpindi community house and book shop of the sisters is their newest foundation. They had been coming to  Rawalpindi every year for a six-month mission with their books and religious articles, from their house in Lahore, a good four-hour journey away. The bishop and the Christian community in Rawalpindi told the sisters to put up their permanent presence and media apostolate. The community in Rawalpindi need them, as “salt” and “light” to respond to and to sustain the faith in this city that is closest to the capital of the nation. A big challenge then for the sisters who had to contend with limited members and resources to deploy.        Salt and light — elements that Jesus used to compare to Christians — need not be plenty. The important thing is their presence. They are elements needed to have a basic life. Imagine how daily human life will be in a world without salt and light. Another thing is their consistency and faithfulness: Though not plenty, salt serves its purpose by its consistent saltiness, and light serves its purpose by its shining forth. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP   REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Have you appreciated your unique contribution to the faith-life of your family, friends, Church community and workplace? Are you true to your important role as “nourisher” of faith in others? What do you do along this line?   Show me the ways that I can be true salt and light in the places and people around me, Lord.

Are you a real-life renter? How do you practice Christian justice in this aspect of your life? - Daily Reflections June 1,2015

WE ARE ALL APARTMENT DWELLERS

 

Nowadays, owning apartments and making a living out of rentals and leases can be a great challenge. While there are those who are conscientious with their obligations and limitations, some abuse their rights and privileges. There may even be tenants who would try to grab the property and would hide under all possible loopholes of the law. In such problematic situations, the owner may have to go  through a dragging and expensive lawsuit to assert his rights and claims.

       Before God and His manifold goodness, Jesus warns us that we can actually behave like the renters whom we readily condemn for being arrogant and abusive. We may forget that all we have are just ours because of God’s mercy and entrustment. The following can be dangerous symptoms of our “forgetfulness” of being tenants and stewards:

       Having No Time for God = Not finding time to look up to God, who gives us each breath and each day to enjoy what we have, is a danger sign of a disoriented attitude to life.

       Uncaring for the Needy = The person, in this case, forgets that we are but channels of blessings for others.

       Neglecting Proper Rest = Money, achievements and power become too important that one is even willing to sacrifice personal health and self for these new forms of idolatry.

       Setting Aside Family and Personal Relations = The person who has this attitude surely forgets the simple rule of peace and happiness — that these are not found in things but in person-to-person relationships.

       There is nothing wrong with enjoying our earthly life, for this life is God’s first creation for humans (cf Genesis 1). Constantly, though, we have to examine our level of attachment. Life and time are free. But they are not ours. Tenants and renters, we all are. Fr. Domie Guzman, SSP

 

REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Are you a real-life renter? How do you practice Christian justice in this aspect of your life? How do you make returns for all that the Good Lord has given you? Do you practice tithing faithfully?

 

Thank You, Lord, for all Your gifts and blessings. Enable me to spend my life well for Your glory.