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

                        

Plug In

 

Lenten Reflection #5

Prayer is how we connect to God. It’s plugging ourselves into the divine power source. Like charging a cellphone. But as Fr. Cris Cellan mentioned in his homily this morning, “The problem is we start our day with our cellphone, not on our knees.”

As prayer is another of the three pillars of Lenten practice, let’s intensify our prayer habit by being more aware of what it is.

“Prayer during Lent focuses on our need for God’s forgiveness. It’s also about repenting (turning away from our sins) and receiving God’s mercy and love.” (from cru.org – Campus Crusade for Christ)

In today’s gospel, Jesus teaches us to pray the Our Father. We ask our Abba to forgive us, but we are also tasked to forgive others. Lent is a time for healing relations with God & with others. And “prayer is the means of healing our relationship with God.” (from “Restore”*)

“Yet you are merciful to all, for you can do all things, and you overlook men’s sins so that they may repent.” – Wisdom 11:23

As part of my reflection, I asked myself: Which of my relationships need healing? Who do I need to forgive or need forgiveness from?

References:      Mass Homily for today – Fr. Cris Cellan: Relationship with God our Father

*“Restore” – A Guided Lent Journal for Prayer and Meditation by Sr. Miriam James Heidland, SOLT

Loving the Least

 

Lenten Reflection #4

Almsgiving. Why do this especially for Lent?

From the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops: “During Lent, we are asked to focus more intently on “almsgiving,” which means donating money or goods to the poor and performing other acts of charity. As one of the three pillars of Lenten practice, almsgiving is a ‘witness to fraternal charity’ and ‘a work of justice pleasing to God.’ (Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2462).”

Today’s gospel about how God will separate the sheep from the goat (Matthew 25:31-46) and the homily gave me more clarity on the practice of almsgiving. The priest said that the measure God will use is how much we have loved our neighbor. Love…not how many novenas we can pray in one day or how far we can walk on our knees to the altar or how many ministry meetings we attend. Better yet, love for the least of our brethren. The least need not only be the materially poor – Manong Magbobote, Sampaguita Girl, Beggar Ate. It can also be that nerd who has no friends or the rich, overbearing boss every employee hates. Yes, even the emotionally and spiritually poor need the love of a neighbor. As Pope John Paul II said, “Nobody is so poor he has nothing to give, and nobody is so rich he has nothing to receive.”

“The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’” – Matthew 25:40

 Reference:      Mass Homily for today – Fr. Jason Laguerta: Separation