Exercising Christian charity through fraternal correction

Homily: 23^rd Sunday in O.T.

We are familiar with the Filipino saying: “Wala ka ngang ginawang masama, wala ka rin namang kabutihang nagawa”. It points out to two things that we must avoid: (1) the sin of omission (of not doing the good that we must do when given the opportunity); and (2) the wrong notion of Christian charity (that is, the “mind-your-own-business” morality, wag makialam sa buhay ng iba, kahit na nakikita mong mali na ang ginagawa nila).

We may think that for as long as we don’t hurt anybody, okay lang: we are still exercising Christian charity. But charity is more than just to avoid causing pain or hurt to our neighbors. Christian charity is actively doing what is good for our neighbor. This, in a nutshell, is what the Church reminds us today through our readings.

How deep is your concern for your neighbor? What good things are you willing to do to show them your charity? Let us reflect on our readings to find out what the Church suggests we must do to exercise Christian charity, that is, fraternal correction. (Fraternal correction is here taken to mean the admonishing of one's neighbor by a private individual with the purpose of reforming him or, if possible, preventing his sinful indulgence.)

In the First Reading, the Lord warns us against a sin of omission: that of not giving fraternal correction to a brother or sister who is wrong. The Prophet Ezequiel says: “If I tell the wicked man that he shall surely die, and you do not speak out to dissuade him from his way, he shall die for his guilt, but I will hold you responsible for his death”. Mortal sin is called “mortal” because it brings death to the soul: the soul is deprived of God’s grace which is its life.

Sometimes, we are afraid or ashamed of telling a friend, a brother or a sister that what they are doing is a mortal sin because it might hurt them. We prefer not to tell them that cohabitation (living together without marriage) is mortal sin, that masturbation is mortal sin, etc. because they might get hurt. Our fear of hurting their pride hinders us from giving them fraternal correction, from showing Christian charity. The Lord says: “they shall die for their guilt – mortal sin – but I will hold you responsible for it” (sin of omission). He is saying, “If you really are concerned for your neighbor, then, try your best to warn them of their wicked deeds. Motivate them to soften their hearts and to listen to God’s voice” (as we prayed in the Responsorial Psalm). Now, that’s authentic Christian charity!

In the Second Reading, St. Paul exhorts the Romans and us, today, to follow the command of the Lord to “love one another for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law”. All the commandments are summed up in the law of Christian charity. “Love does no evil to the neighbor; hence, love is the fulfillment of the law”.

We should not let our zeal and our love for the law hinder us from fulfilling the law of love. Our eagerness to follow the norms in school, in the office, in our community, should not make us neglect the most fundamental law: the law of charity. It should not make us so stiff and tough in our dealings with others and forget that the law is basically fulfilled whenever we show charity to them. The law is there for correctional purposes only. What really matters is charity.

This is exactly what Jesus wants us to understand in the Gospel today. He is saying that we must do fraternal correction in a loving way. “If your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault in private. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over. If not, take one or two others along with you… If he refuses to listen to them, tell the Church…” Three steps to a fruitful and loving dialogue: (1) truthful confrontation; (2) sincere communication, and (3) loving compassion.

Truthful confrontation must be done by distinguishing clearly the person from the evil deeds he/she has done. To distinguish person from action is not easy because our immediate tendency is to identify both. But Christian charity demands that we condemn the evil action but that we have compassion for the person. The evil action cannot be undone anymore. But the person who committed it can still be converted.

Sincere communication demands that we tell the person that his action is wrong, not because it goes against our self-interest. We do fraternal correction not just because we are offended but because the person has committed an objectively wrong action that offends God. We correct the person’s behavior because it degrades him. But we must be sincere enough to ensure that fraternal correction is not done for our personal interest.

Lastly, loving compassion must be the motive of our fraternal correction. It is harder to give correction than to receive one. That is why it is an authentic manifestation of Christian charity to give fraternal correction: because it is hard to do but it does so much good to our neighbor.

May we learn to make good use of this very Catholic way of loving in our efforts to live to the fullest the virtue of Christian charity. May the Blessed Virgin Mary help us to be courageous enough to exercise Christian charity through fraternal correction. Amen.

“You will find rest”

Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus

Homily, June 27, 2014

 St. Augustine’s famous saying summarizes the natural longing of the human heart: “You have made us for yourself, O Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in you.” Jesus, true God and true man, who loves us with a human heart, knows very well the desires of our hearts. He is not indifferent to what we need, to what we seek, and to what burdens us.

That is why, on this Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, our Lord invites us: “Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for yourselves. For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”

Notice how Jesus assures us twice that in Him we will find rest: “I will give you rest…and you will find rest for yourselves.” But in order to find the rest that our heart longs for, our Lord invites to do three things. Three steps to find rest in the Sacred Heart of Jesus: “come to me”, “take my yoke” and “learn from me”.

“Come to me”: This is an invitation to establish an intimate friendship with Him and to consider Him the center of our thoughts, words and actions. Why does Jesus invite us to come to Him? Because oftentimes we come to the wrong persons and things whenever we have problems and troubles in life. When overburdened by life’s struggles, to whom do you go? To alcohol? To Facebook? To your barkadas who give you bad influence?

Why not come and spend some time in front of the Blessed Sacrament? Pour out your troubles to Jesus in prayer. Tell Him your concerns. St. Peter, in his First Letter, assures us: “Give all your worries and cares to God, for he cares about you” (1 Pe 5: 7). I tell you out of my experience: it works!

But in order to do this, you have to believe first that Jesus is present in the Blessed Sacrament. Whenever I see people entering the Blessed Sacrament chapel and fixing their eyes on Jesus who is really present in the form of bread on the monstrance, I am amazed at the greatness of their faith. We need to have that child-like faith and trust that Jesus remains with us in the form of bread. Only then can we really come to Him and find our rest.

“Take my yoke”: Oftentimes, what hinders people from coming to Jesus is the thought that when they do, Jesus would give them burdens and yoke that they cannot carry. Some people are afraid to follow Jesus because they think He is very demanding. They think: “If I decide to follow Jesus, I’ll have to give up this vice or that bad habit. I’ll have to give up ASB (alak, sugal, babae).” And they could not bear the thought that they’ll have to give up passing pleasures if they decide to take the yoke of Jesus.

Some young people, for instance, who may have heard the call of Jesus to priesthood or religious life, are afraid to “take the yoke” because they think if they do, they would be deprived of many enjoyable and pleasurable things. Well, they are wrong! St. John Paul II, in 2003 in Madrid, told us, young seminarians by then, “that it is worthwhile dedicating oneself to the cause of Christ and, out of love for him, devoting oneself to serving humanity. It is worthwhile to give one’s life for the Gospel and for one’s brothers and sisters!” There is joy in following Jesus. His yoke is easy and His burden is light because they are the ones that truly give us joy and peace: the rest for our soul.

Lastly, “learn from me”: Now, here’s the true meaning of the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus: to be a devotee to the Most Sacred of Jesus means “to learn from Jesus”, that is, to transform our hearts into the heart of our Lord. This is why he said: “Learn from me, for I am meek and humble of heart”.

To be transformed into the heart of Jesus is to strive to think, to speak and to behave like Jesus, to love what Jesus loves, to desire what He desires. In a word, it means to be Christ-like. In the words of St. Josemaría Escrivá, Founder of Opus Dei, a way of sanctification through our ordinary works: “We all have to be ipse Christus — Christ himself. This is what Saint Paul commands in the name of God: Induimini Dominum Iesum Christum — put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Each one of us — you! — has to see how he puts on that clothing of which the Apostle speaks. Each one personally, has to sustain an uninterrupted dialogue with the Lord.” To learn from Jesus means to put on the Lord Jesus Christ!

My brothers and sisters, on this Solemn Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, may we truly find rest to our souls by coming closer to Christ, by accepting the yoke of Jesus and following it in our lives and by becoming alter Christus (other Christ) or ipse Christus (Christ Himself) to our brothers and sisters. Let us ask the Blessed Virgin to assist us in these struggles. Amen.

"Why do Catholics make the sign of the Cross?"

Holy Trinity Sunday

(Homily)

          Oftentimes, we, Catholics, find it hard to explain when we are asked one very basic question like “Why do we make the sign of the Cross?”

Sometime in 2004, when I was still a seminarian, I was asked to give a talk to a group of catechists in our parish in Ma-a. In our session, I let them watch Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ and then, I entertained some questions afterwards. One catechist raised a question which was not related to the movie. She said she was asked by an elementary pupil: why do Catholics make the sign of the cross? But she could not answer it.

Now, I throw to you the same question: Why, do you think, we make the sign of the Cross? Before we give some answers to the question “Why”, let us first answer the questions “What is the sign of the cross?” and “What do we profess in it?”

Whenever we make the sign of the Cross, we profess basically two truths of our faith: (1) the Mystery of the Passion, Death and Resurrection of Jesus (PDR), also known as the Paschal Mystery; and (2) the Mystery of the Holy Trinity. These are the two fundamental truths of our faith. But the most central – I would say – the source of all we believe and know about God is the second: the Mystery of the Holy Trinity, that God is One in Divine Substance (being God) but Three in Divine Persons (being Father, Son and Holy Spirit).

As we celebrate the Solemnity of the Holy Trinity today, let us review a little what we understand of the Mystery. A story is told about St. Augustine, who, one day, was walking on the beach, contemplating the Mystery of the Trinity. Then, he saw a boy in front of him who had dug a hole in the sand and was going out to the sea again and again bringing some water to pour into the hole. St. Augustine asked him, “What are you doing?” “I’m going to pour the entire ocean into this hole,” the boy replied. “That is impossible, the whole ocean will not fit in the hole you have made”, said the saint. The boy responded, “And you cannot fit the Trinity in your tiny little brain.”

Our tiny little brain can never contain the whole mystery, but this does not mean that the mystery is irrational and that we cannot be enlightened at least by some rational explanation. In order to avoid very simplistic explanations (like the electric fan metaphor, or 3-in-1 coffee analogy of the Holy Trinity), let us try to look into St. Augustine’s attempt to explain reasonably the Mystery as revealed to us in the Scriptures.

St. Augustine gave classic expression to the psychological analogy of the Trinity in which the unity of essence is likened to the rational part of the human soul, composed as it is of the mind, and the knowledge by which it knows itself, and the love by which it loves itself. St. Augustine likened the persons of the Holy Trinity to the human mind, knowledge and love.

In our human psychology, we have a mind that knows itself. We call it our “self-knowledge” or “self-image”. Our “self-image” is sometimes overrated or underrated. Sometimes, we pity ourselves simply because in our “self-image” we focus more on our defects or limitations rather than on our strengths.

God, the Father, also has a “self-image”: He looks at Himself, and He found His “self-image” very good; in fact, the Highest Good! The difference between our “self-image” and the Father’s “self-image” is that our “self-image” does not constitute another person because we are finite creatures. But the Father’s “Self-Image” constitutes another person because He is God, Infinite and Powerful. We understand, therefore, why St. Paul describes God the Son, Jesus Christ, as the “Image of the Invisible God” (Col. 1: 15).

As we look at our “self-image”, we tend either to love it or hate it, depending on whether we see ourselves as lovable or not. If we love our “self-image”, we say we have “high self-esteem”. If we hate ourselves, we say we have “low self-esteem”. However, because we are simply finite human beings, our self-love does not constitute another human person. But when the Father looks at Himself, He finds His “Self-Image” supremely good and, therefore, highly lovable. So He loves Himself infinitely. Since His “Self-Image” constitutes another Divine Person, that Person also loves the Father because love always involves two persons. Now, since these two persons who are in love with each other – the Father and the Son – are Infinite Divine Persons, their Love also constitutes another Divine Person, the Holy Spirit. Hence, the Holy Spirit is the Love that proceeds from the Father and the Son.

We see, therefore, that the best analogy in understanding a little rationally the Mystery of the Holy Trinity is through our psychological experience of our human mind that knows itself and loves itself. Mind, knowledge and love, therefore, could be likened to the Father, Son and the Holy Spirit. But what is the significance of this very little understanding of the Mystery to our life of faith? Three points only:

 First, if God is our Father, and we are His children, then, we should not be worried whenever difficulties come. Our Father God will always provide for us, especially when we do our best. Second, since Jesus is the Perfect Image of God, the Father, if we want to be like God, we must be transformed into the image of Jesus Christ: to be a Christian, therefore, is to be Christ-like. Third, since the Holy Spirit is the love between the Father and the Son, we must ask the Holy Spirit to fill our hearts with His love, so that we may truly love God and our neighbors as God loves us.

With this, we are now ready to give reasons why we make the sign of the Cross. We make the sign of the Cross because:

(1) We claim that we are children of God, the Father because we are baptized in the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Whenever we sign ourselves, we tell others that “We are sons or daughters of the Father”, the best Father of all (He should be the first that we greet: “Happy Father’s Day”).

(2) We manifest that we are disciples of Christ. The cross is the mark of discipleship. Pope Francis, in his first homily, emphasized the importance of the cross to Christ’s disciples. He said, “When we journey without the cross, when we build without the cross and when we confess a Christ without the cross, we are not disciples of the Lord: we are worldly, we are bishops, priests, cardinals, popes, but not disciples of the Lord”. By tracing the cross on our bodies, we are declaring that we belong to Christ alone: we become more Christ-like;

(3) Lastly, we declare that we want to live according to the Holy Spirit. When we sign ourselves, we express our decision to “crucify” the desires of our flesh – envy, jealousy, sensuality, anger, and all disordered inclinations – and to live according to the Holy Spirit, the Sanctifier. Like “tossing off a dirty shirt or blouse”, making the sign of the Cross indicates our stripping ourselves of our evil inclinations and clothing ourselves with the behaviors of Christ (see Col 3: 5-15).

So from now on, every time we make the sign of the Cross, we don’t just mechanically say “In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. We are actually saying: “I am the son/daughter of the Father, a disciple who wants to be like the Son, and who wants to live a life in the Holy Spirit”. Amen.

Light makes one see or renders one blind

Homily: 4^th Sunday of Lent

          It’s quite ironic that while light makes us see the world around us, too much light can also blind us. Light makes one see or renders one blind! We see this truth graphically described to us in the Gospel today. Jesus cured the blind man at the Pool of Siloe (“Siloam”, which means “the One who is sent”). The evangelist John, the great theologian, has combined all possible signs and figures to bring home his point: Jesus, the Messiah – the One sent by God – is the light of the world.

The man who is blind from birth symbolizes all human beings who are born with original sin. Sin is actually blindness to God’s goodness. The clay smeared on his eyes may mean that everyone has to recognize that “we are dust and unto dust we shall return” (cfr. Gen. 3: 19). But then, the man went and washed himself in the water of the Pool of Siloam. Washing one’s face with water symbolizes baptism. The water in the Pool of “the One Sent” (Siloam) refers to the baptism that Jesus instituted. It washes away the original sin that all human beings inherited from Adam and Eve since birth.

Through baptism we receive the Light – Jesus Christ – in the same fashion that our Lord heals the blind man and creates “new sight” in him. Through faith, we recognize Jesus as the One sent by the Father, through Whom all shall be saved. Jesus is the Light of the world, of human existence, of your darkness as well as mine. But how ironic it is that the same light makes us see while it renders others blind! The same Jesus – the Light of the world – opened the eyes of the blind man and turned blind the eyes of the Pharisees. They look at Jesus but they could not see the Messiah. Now, we ask: Who are really the blind? Who is really the keen-sighted? The blind man in the Gospel is the real keen-sighted. The Pharisees are the real blind.

The Blind. The blind are (1) those who see only the appearance. In the First Reading (1 Sam 16: 1b, 6-7, 10-13a), the Lord asked the Prophet Samuel to anoint from among the sons of Jesse of Bethlehem the one God has chosen to be the king of Israel. When Samuel looked at Eliab and thought that he could be the chosen one, the Lord said, “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature… man sees the appearance but God looks into the heart”. True enough, how many times we judge a person by his appearance or by his gestures and reactions? How many times we stereotype, categorize or put people in a box? Every time we do so, we become blind because we see only the appearance. We are judgmental; we fail to look deeper into the person.

The blind are (2) those who cannot see or refuse to see the obvious. The Pharisees recognized the miraculous cure of the blind man. Yet, instead of praising the author of the miracle – Jesus – and recognizing the divine origin of His power, they said “This man is not from God, because he does not keep the Sabbath!” Oh, what blindness! Their unreasonable and exaggerated love for the law makes them forget the basic law of love, which is, at least, to think positively of others. Not only did they not see Jesus, they even thought badly of Him. That’s uncharitable! Their blindness consists not so much in their unbelieving, but in refusing to believe even if they have seen the clear manifestation of God’s power. How many times we didn’t see the hands of God at work in our lives simply because we refuse to see the obvious? Have you noticed that even the air you breathe is God’s gift to you? Have you thanked God for all the palpable blessings you have received from Him?

Blind also are (3) those who prefer to stay in the darkness of sin. St. Paul, in the Second Reading (Eph 5: 8-14) today, tells us: “You were once in darkness, but now you are light in the Lord… Take no part in the fruitless works of darkness”. But we love darkness because we think that in it we are more free to do whatever we want. As the song goes, “No right; no wrong; no rules for me; I’m free…” (Let it go). There is no freedom in doing what is wrong. Freedom will flourish only in the good. Freedom is not just having choices: it is choosing the good. To choose to stay in the darkness of sin is not freedom: it is slavery! You say: “I cannot get out of my vice”. Wrong! You cannot get out of it because you don’t want to. You prefer to stay in darkness. If you’ll just try and make a decision to get out of that darkness, with God’s grace, you can! Again, listen to St. Paul: “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will give you light”.

The Keen-Sighted. He who can really see is (1) one who looks into the heart as God does. Does it occur to you that even though that person may appear unlikeable in your sight, he is a genuine person inside? The Little Prince already said it: “It is only through the heart the one sees clearly, for what is essential is invisible to the eye”. If you want to see the real beauty of the person, give more importance to the moral values in your relationship – loyalty, sincerity, purity, respect of each other’s body – rather than to the physical aspect like sexual activities and other forms of sensuality. Sensuality blinds the spirit. But he who can look at the other person through God’s eyes is keen-sighted indeed!

Another keen-sighted is (2) one who believes even when he does not see or understand. When Jesus found again the blind man, He asked him: “Do you believe in the Son of Man?” he answered, “Who is he, sir, that I may believe in him?” Jesus replied, “I am He”. The blind man exclaimed: “I do believe, Lord”, and he worshiped Him. Do you need proofs in order to believe that Jesus loves you? You say, God does not exist because evil exists. Can’t you see? A god who cannot tolerate opposition is not a true god because he is not powerful enough to tolerate evil. But a God who can permit evil to happen because He can get something good out of it is a true and most powerful God. Even though you cannot yet see or understand why God allows you to suffer poverty or that sickness, believe first in order for you to see. Believe in order to understand!

Lastly, he is not blind (3) who try to live as a child of light. St. Paul exhorts us: “Live as children of light, for light produces every kind of goodness and righteousness and truth. Try to learn what is pleasing to the Lord”. When the sole motive of your every action, every word, and every thought is God and His glory, you are living as a child of light. However, to live in the light today is very difficult because the world wants to drag you into the darkness. Fight against worldly wiles and temptations. The world will often deceive you with its false lights: the dancing light, the patay-sinding ilaw. Avoid that light because it will blind the little child in you – your innocence.

Brothers and sisters, Jesus comes to you as the Light: He comes to give you back your sight, which you lost through sin. But if you still refuse to live as sons and daughters of light, the Light of Jesus will blind you. Will you prefer to stay blind? Will you not say to Jesus: “Lord, make me see again”? Ask Mother Mary to help you.