Refocus on God with a Capital G

 

Lenten Reflection #15

When Jesus saw him lying there and was aware that he had been ill for a long time, he said to him, “Do you want to get well?” – John 5:6

It’s been several days since I wrote my last reflection because my time has been consumed by other gods. By other gods, I don’t mean they’re all bad just “anything other than God” as Fr. Cris Cellan said in his homily several days ago.  The only god I’d categorize under bad would be the one who only collects estate taxes from small fry like us and leaves 203 billion uncollected (sorry my pocket just had to rant about that). In short, it’s been a hectic week.

Going back to Fr. Cris’ homily, he said, “Many times, though we are Christians, we worship different gods (career, material things, anything other than God). The gospel for that day was about the Pool of Bethesda which bore traces of pagan practices. The man who had been sick for 38 years was invoking a different deity to heal him which was tantamount to idolatry. “The call to repentance for this 40-day penitential journey is to refocus on Jesus who can truly heal us. Jesus alone is the Divine Healer. He alone can restore our relationship with the Father.”

Again, it’s another God-incidence that my self-assigned Jesus story for that day was about the Healing at the Pool of Bethesda (The Chosen Season 2 Episode 4 – “The Perfect Opportunity”). In the Bible Roundtable for that episode, the Bible experts were discussing Jesus’ question to the paralytic, “Do you want to be healed?” I was struck by what one of them said, “In our pastoral ministry there are people who enjoy poor health. They identify very much with their own weakness, their own failure. Some people prefer to stay where they are.” Sometimes, “the pool” or our other gods become part of our identity and we don’t want to leave it.

 

Maybe that’s a question we should ask ourselves this Lent. “Do you really want to be healed or are you using that weakness/illness/failure as a crutch, as a sympathy magnet?” If you sincerely want to get healed, refocus on Jesus, on the God with a capital G.

 

 

References:      Mass Homily – Fr. Cris Cellan: Pool of Bethesda

                        The Chosen Season 2 Episode 4 – “The Perfect Opportunity”

                        The Chosen Season 2 Episode 4 Bible Roundtable

H.A.L.E.

 

Lenten Reflection #14

H – Higher

A – Appreciation

L – Lower

E – Expectation

Compassion and forgiveness. These are two among several things that I’m asking God to help me with especially this Lent. This morning, at mass, the priest gave the HALE formula to enable us to be more sympathetic to the plight of others and have greater patience with their mistakes.

Do you have a makulit aged parent who acts like a child now? HALE. Remember when you were young and the roles were reversed.

Do you have a child who keeps failing in Math? HALE. He might be brilliant in languages or the arts.

Do you have a husband who keeps forgetting important dates? HALE. He likes spending time with you and the kids rather than with his friends.

Do you have a wife who can’t cook if her life depended on it? HALE. She gives the best massages.

Do you have a barkada who forget to call you for group outings? HALE. They do listen to you talk for hours about your problems.

You know who else needed to have HALE? The apostles in The Chosen’s “Matthew 4:24” episode (my self-assigned Jesus story for the day). In the episode, the apostles were discussing what it’s like to follow the Messiah, what their expectations were. They were having difficulties because it didn’t look like what they expected.

Then Mary Magdalene said, “I guess I haven’t had any expectations. It’s probably why it’s easier for me.”

So, appreciate more, expect less. It will make following Jesus easier.

References:      Mass Homily – Fr. Jose Elmer Ilao

                       The Chosen Season 2 Episode 3 – “Matthew 4:24”

                       The Chosen Season 2 Episode 3 Bible Roundtable

Living Water

 

Lenten Reflection #13

“but whoever drinks the water I shall give will never thirst; the water I shall give will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” – John 4:14

I feel it’s a God-incidence (not coincidence) when the gospel and my self-assigned Lenten video to watch for the day are about the same bible story. Not only do I get visuals to make the gospel come alive but also a confirmation of what my reflection will be about. Today’s story was about the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s Well. The homily gave me a lot of insights:

There are different kinds of wells that we think will quench our thirst: marriage or a relationship (like the woman who has had 5), addictions, wealth, power and other earthly things. But all these things will not completely satisfy us. We will still be left dry and desolate. We will thirst for more.

We thirst to be saved, known, understood and to be loved without being judged. The woman in the bible was nameless but Jesus knew her and her sins. He still thought her worthy to receive His living water, to reveal Himself as the Messiah. As Timothy Keller said, “To be fully known and truly loved is a lot like being loved by God.” That is how the well of Jesus will satisfy. His love for us will never run dry.

Reflect on this for Lent: “From what well do you drink?”

References:      Mass Homily – Fr. Eric Salazar

                       The Chosen Season 1 Episode 8 – “I Am He”

“Follow Me”

 

Lenten Reflection #12

“For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may attain eternal life.” – John 3:16

What would you do if today Jesus tells you, “Follow me”?

In “Invitations” (The Chosen Season 1 Episode 7), Jesus invited Nicodemus and Matthew to follow Him.

Nicodemus struggled, “To give up who I am?” Jesus understood that he has a position in the Sanhedrin, a family and was getting advanced in years. But Jesus still hoped he would come. (Spoiler alert: Nicodemus chose to go back to his life in the next episode.)

Matthew, on the other hand, just got up and left everything – money, protection by the Roman praetor, the good life.

For many of us, doing a Matthew would be too drastic but unlike Nicodemus, we would still want to follow Jesus. This Lent how about being an in-between:

·        Be humble, forget your lofty position.

·        Give as you would to your family.

·        Serve as much as your aged bones or restricted schedule will allow.

·        Sacrifice by not indulging in the good life.

In today’s homily, Fr. Dave Concepcion issued another invitation for us this Lent: observe your family and friends. If there is one among them who are in dire need, ask yourself what you have done to help them. Ask them how they are. Do not be too full of yourself that you become insensitive to their situation.

 

References:      Mass Homily – Fr. Dave Concepcion

                        The Chosen Season 1 Episode 7 – “Invitations”

In Secret

 

Lenten Reflection #11

“Your almsgiving must be done in secret. And your Father who sees everything that is done in secret will reward you.” – Matthew 6:4

In yesterday’s mass, Fr. Cris Cellan gave a timely reminder: “As we continue our 40-day penitential journey, we are called to be humble. We must do the spiritual exercises of prayer, fasting and almsgiving without fanfare. The Father sees in secret, and we will be amply rewarded in due time.”

I had always connected the above passage with only the last two spiritual exercises. Fasting and almsgiving must be done in secret to make it sincere. That prayer must share the common denominator of secrecy was an “Oo-nga-ano” moment for me. After all, prayer IS a personal conversation between us and God. It does not need fanfare too.

I had another “Oo-nga-ano” moment while watching my self-assigned story yesterday. In The Chosen’s Season 1 Episode 6 (“Indescribable Compassion”), Jesus said, “It’s better to go into your room, shut the door and pray to your Father who sees you in secret…Give generously without thinking about it. Do not do it for show to impress others. DON’T EVEN CONGRATULATE YOURSELF IN PRIVATE. Give in humility.”

In our country where many donations (using taxpayers’ money) and services (by officials paid by the people to perform that exact same service) are trumpeted by attention-grabbing tarps, DON’T EVEN CONGRATULATE YOURSELF IN PRIVATE is a tall order. This Lent, let us rise above all that and do our penitential journey in secret where only God can see. Maybe you can include as your Lenten sacrifice a prayer for these tarp-loving officials. 😉

References:      Mass Homily 3/7/2023 – Fr. Cris Cellan: Humility

                        The Chosen Season 1 Episode 6 - “Indescribable Compassion”

Practice Mercy

 

Lenten Reflection #10

“Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.” – Luke 6:36

Since I started this Lenten Reflection series, I would ask Jesus every morning what face He wants to show me today. What must people know about Him? Today, through the mass, He showed me the Face of Mercy:

Newton’s Law of Motion: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

Viktor Frankl: Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response.

Fr. Dave Concepcion: We are not mere atoms, we are human beings and  that gap (between action and reaction) is called the capacity to respond in grace. Grace is enjoying the gifts we do not deserve, and mercy is being spared from the punishment we deserve.

This Lent, Jesus wants us to practice mercy. “Practice mercy” – these words struck me as I typed them. Being merciful does not come to me, and I suppose to many other people, easily. Like anything difficult, or anything we want to be perfect in, we need to practice. Another thing we have to remember is we can’t always get it right in the beginning. But if we keep doing it then it becomes a part of our system. This season is a good time to practice mercy so we can practice mercy as the Father does.

References:      Mass Homily for today – Fr. Dave Concepcion

Glimpse of Glory

 

Lenten Reflection #9

“Beloved: bear your share of the hardship for the gospel with the strength that comes from God.” – 2 Timothy 1:8

 “There will be a moment of pain, but only a moment, then we shall be home in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ forever.” This was a line from Paul, Apostle of Christ said by St. Luke to his co-prisoners who were to be fed to the lions.

 The early Christians literally gave their lives for following Christ. What must have given them courage and hope was not just the thought Jesus was waiting for them but the vision of the Resurrection. It was the same for Peter, James and John in today’s gospel. They were given a glimpse of Jesus’ glory at the Transfiguration to sustain them through the Crucifixion until the Resurrection.

Today, most of us are lucky we are not called to die for our faith. But as followers of Jesus, we are called to die a little when we make sacrifices for the people we love and the community we serve. This Lent, when it feels your sacrifices and troubles are too much to bear, let your mind dwell on what’s going to happen on Easter. And pray to be given the courage of the early Christian martyrs. 

Perfect…Pain

 

Lenten Reflection #8

“So be perfect, just as your heavenly Father is perfect.” – Matthew 5:48

If Jesus had posted “Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you” on social media today, I would have commented, “Lord naman! With matching eyeroll hanggang bumbunan emoji)” How can you love a neighbor who regularly plays blaring music and parties till three in the morning disrupting your work and sleep and even gets mad when you complain? How can you love the woman who stole your husband? Or the co-worker who backstabbed you to get a promotion? Or the business partner who left you to deal with a debt in staggering amounts? (Disclaimer for the Marites out there: problems not all mine, for example lang 😉) And the list goes on.

Jesus does ask us to do hard things. Even St. Teresa of Avila was prompted to say, “If this is the way you treat your friends, it’s no wonder You have so few.” But then again, the road to heaven is not easy to trek.

As the priest said in today’s homily, “Perfection cannot be attained without pain. It is only painful in the beginning. Later it will no longer bother you as it becomes part of your system. It is the same with praying for your enemies. And the First Reading gives the key to perfection: ‘Observe them with all your heart and with all your soul.’”

So, this Lent, let aiming for perfection be our sacrifice.

References:      Mass Homily for today – Fr. Danichi Hui

                        Carmelites.org – “Quotes from Teresa of Avila”

I’m Just Here

 

Lenten Reflection #7

“And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.” – Matthew 6:7

Prayer of Presence. This morning at mass, was my first time to hear of that kind of prayer. What a beautiful thought. To sit with God in silence like two old friends who don’t need words to make each other feel they care. It’s saying, “I’m just here if you need me.”

I asked myself, “How can I show Jesus I’m here for Him this Lent?” Then I remembered seeing the Stations of the Cross set up in our village park as I walked to the church. Maybe that’s one thing I can do – walk with Him to Calvary. But instead of babbling the usual prayers in front of each station, to just be present in the moment, to feel what it’s like…

…to be unjustly condemned, misjudged, bullied.

…to be given a cross too heavy to bear (death of a loved one, debts, illness).

…to fall (into sin, fail in business, lose esteem).

…to weep with the women who cared for Him (as mothers do when their children are hurt).

…to be stripped (of titles, jobs, possessions). 

It will be a different Lenten experience - to pray not with words but with my presence

 

Bite-sized Sacrifices

 

Lenten Reflection #6

“My sacrifice, O God, is a broken spirit; a contrite and humble heart, O God, you will not spurn.” – Psalm 51:19

The term “Lenten sacrifice” may be daunting for many of us. As a little girl, I was appalled by pictures of self-flagellants with bloodied backs. Walking the whole length of the procession barefoot like some people do in my hometown was beyond my abilities. My (hashtag all caps) SACRIFICE was to sit through the monotonous chanting of the Pasyon my Lola hosted at our ancestral house.

When I grew up, the concept changed to more doable sacrifices. But still, there were times I would falter because I could not sustain it for 40 days. When I backslid, I’d totally give up.

As I was preparing for today’s reflection, I came across a very helpful article about little Lenten sacrifices for those who can’t go the traditional route*. I thought it would be a good idea to make a list of bite-sized sacrifices for my own use:

No decadent sweets for dessert (Krispy Kreme, Mary Grace, Dairy Queen goodbye for now).

2.   No chocolates as weekend cheats (hello fat-free, made from real fruit Welch’s gummies muna)

3.   No detective mysteries and romcoms (binge watch only bible themed movies and shows like The Chosen)

4.   No match 3 and home design games. Play only those that are good for stimulating the brain like word games and puzzles.

5.   Instead of changing the topic after Papa tells the same story for the fifth time, wait until the tenth retelling.

How about you? What’s your bite-sized Lenten sacrifices?

Reference:       *National Catholic Register’s 13 Little Lenten Sacrifices 

                        https://www.ncregister.com/blog/13-little-lenten-sacrifices