Once a man approached a priest and asked, “Father, how come God seems so absent and silent? Why do we not feel and hear him anymore listening to us as He used to be? Why does God no longer speak to us His people?” The priest sadly replied, “It is not that God no longer speaks to His people. But rather, nowadays no one can stoop down low enough to listen to Him. No one… can stoop down low enough… to listen to Him.”
Once in a while (if not most often) we experience the absence and silence of God in our lives. Though we trust and believe that God is with us since the Lord is with us, we live through moments in life where God and Jesus seems distant and silent. But is God really no longer listening and talking to us? Has he really abandoned us? Or is it we become too noisy, self-preoccupied, or high and far enough to listen to Him?
During this Lenten Season, if you happen to have some time, consider to watch the movie: “Silence” – a movie about Jesuits missionaries during the time of Japanese persecution of Christians. The movie is surely not a silent movie, but full of messages to hear and listen. Though it is called “Silence”, rest assured you will hear a lot from it and perhaps in many ways be moved and disturbed by it.
Because among its many messages, the movie is really an invitation for us Christians, those who follow and believe in Jesus Christ to listen to Jesus in silence. A call for us Christian to Listen to Jesus in Silence. A call to Silence for us in order to hear and listen intently God’s will for us in life. Only in silence, only in experiencing God’s seeming silence and absence, and not in the noise of our hearts and others that we can discern and recognize God’s will for us through Christ. Only in God’s Silence that we can experience God’s glory and our salvation.
In our gospel today, we hear that the apostles heard God saying to them: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to Him.” Their experience of the Lord’s transfiguration has the same very simple message: Jesus is His beloved Son – God’s gift and message to us, so we must acknowledge and listen to Him intently. And we can only do this – acknowledge and listen to Jesus – like the apostle, not in noise, pre-occupation, and ambitions of our hearts, but in the shadow of God’s silence and absence. Only then by experiencing God’s silence that we recognize God’s glory in Lord’s transfiguration, transformation in our lives and hear intently God’s will for us now. In other words, “Be Quiet (Don’t be noisy) for the Lord is with us and He has something to say for us. Huwag kang maingay, Narito sya at may sasabihin sa atin. Ayaw’g saba. Ania siya ug naay isulti nato. Di pag-gahud, Ari siya. May inug-hambal sa aton.
Pope Francis once said: “People listen to radio, to TV and to gossips throughout the day, but do we take a bit a time each day to listen to Jesus?” True indeed, we spend a lot of time listening to and knowing about others. We also may spend some time listening to and knowing about ourselves. But do we spend some time to listen to and know Jesus? Listening to Jesus entails praying low enough in and with God’s silence. Only in silent prayer, we can recognize Him and listen to Him.
So next time you find yourself restless and sleepless at night, stop counting sheep. Talk to the shepherd. Pray then silently and listen to Him for the Lord has something to say and then you will hear what He got to say to you and for you.
As you hear it, So may it be. Sya nawa. Hinaut pa unta. Kabay pa. Amen.
Shared by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR – a Filipino Redemptorist Missionary based in South Korea
What are your experiences of temptations? Sometimes, students are tempted to watch their favorites tv series or play “Mobile Legends” rather than to study. As a result, a temptation to cheat during exams can be possible. Workers or employees are sometimes tempted to steal from their company or employer perhaps because of a need at home. Husbands or wives are also tempted and sometimes succumbed to the temptation to engage in extra-marital relationships perhaps because their relationship with their partner has become cold and sour. This could make a relationship unsatisfiable and emotionally toxic. Others are tempted and succumbed to alcohol and drug abuse or worst to commit suicide to forget or end their overwhelming problems.
There are still many kinds of temptations that we experience in life. Temptation, in the biblical understanding, means a “test” – that is of putting a person to a test. Temptation is also the urge or desire to engage into something that may have a long-term consequence. Thus, it is also inclined to committing sin.
But, we may ask, why would God bring us to the test? The common understanding in the bible is that, God tests His people to put them in situations that would reveal the quality and sincerity of their heart, of their faith and devotion. In trials, God strengthens their patience and hope, matures their faith and assures them of his love.
Though God allows trial and suffering but it is the devil who brings forth the suffering and pain. The devil’s intention is to bring people into hopelessness so that we may give up on God. The devil tries to deceive us to choose what is easy and what is naturally appealing to us, to make short cuts, and more reasons for giving up.
As we celebrate the First Sunday of Lent, our readings today bring us deeper to understand better temptations and our attitudes towards our human desires.
The first reading tells us of the experience of Man and Woman who were tempted by the devil and gave in to the temptation. They knew that it was forbidden to eat the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and its punishment was death and separation from God. However, as they were tempted, the serpent engaged the woman into a conversation, which was actually the devil’s trick. In engaging into conversation with the devil, the temptation became more convincing and appealing to human senses. Indeed, the woman saw that the fruit was really good and will make her and the man, wise and to be like God. But then, the decision they made was actually a separation from God because of that desire to become gods themselves.
Thus, as soon as they have realized that they have sinned symbolized by their nakedness, they covered themselves. They felt guilty and so hid their nakedness and of their sins from God. This tells us how sin and guilt destroy our integrity and intimacy with God.
However, let us also see how such temptation was treated by Jesus. The Gospel tells us that Jesus was alone in the desert but was filled with the Spirit of God and the devil came to tempt him in three different situations.
The first temptation of the devil was to turn the stone into bread. Jesus by that time was so hungry. He was so weak and so the devil used the weakness of Jesus to tempt him. This temptation was an offer to give in to the basic “human needs.” It was a temptation to respond immediately for one’s “self-satisfaction.” Yet, the Lord understood well that his mission is not to satisfy himself but to do the will of God. Thus, Jesus chose to be hungry so that He too will experience how to be hungry and so will be able to fill hunger not just for food but for love, for affection and for God.
The second temptation was to test the goodness and faithfulness of the Father to Jesus. Jesus was alone in the desert and had surely felt loneliness and abandonment from God. This experience was used by the devil to tempt Jesus to test God’s faithfulness. The devil knew that Jesus had become insecure of what lies ahead. Being human, the future is always uncertain. But then, Jesus did not give in to that temptation to make certain God’s love and faithfulness by testing God to throw himself down from the pinnacle of the temple. He showed the devil that there is no need for testing God’s goodness to be certain of it. He showed that true faith in God is to embrace trust and hope amidst uncertainties and doubts.
The third temptation of the tempter was to worship the devil instead of the Lord God in exchange for all the kingdoms of the world with their riches and power. Jesus has nothing, no material possession, and no influence. The devil knew this and that’s why the devil offered Jesus riches, power and dominance. However, Jesus chose not to worship Satan, not to worship riches and wealth, not power and dominance over others, not control and influence or independence from the Father. Jesus chose to be powerless and vulnerable like the poor, the sick, the dying and oppressed.
All those things that the devil offered were not necessarily bad or evil. To satisfy oneself, to be certain of our life, riches and material possessions are good in themselves.
However, these good things will be used by the devil to allure us and keep us preoccupied, anxious, doubtful, fearful and insecure; thus, keeping us away from the grace of peace that God gives us. That is why, when something preoccupies us and makes us anxious other than serving God, then, it comes from the devil.
That something could be our own hunger for attention, for love and affection, and intimacy, which is always directed for self-gratification. It happens when we immediately choose what is only comfortable and beneficial for ourselves without considering others or even at the expense of others. This will not lead us to God but to ourselves.
That something too can spring up from our desires to be self-sufficient, the desire to exercise power and dominance over others, to become famous and successful. However, when our possessions, gadgets, work, our fame and name, career and ambition preoccupy our heart and mind, then, we allow the devil to work and control our life.
That something too can also be our anxiety to be certain at everything about life. This anxiety can be very strong because when it occupies our mind and heart then we begin to lose our peace of mind and become doubtful of God’s goodness. We will lose our self-confidence because we become fearful in making mistakes and taking risks. The temptation lies in our tendency to be masters of our own lives, to be independent from God. This will not surely bring us closer to God but in fact, we choose to be isolated from the grace of God.
It is indeed a very good feeling to be served, to be self-sufficient, to have anything you need and want in an instant, to be praised, to be famous of what you did and of what you are doing. It is really a good feeling to be able to exercise influence and power over the inferior ones. But, then, all of these when they only serve the ego (self) and feed oneself, then, the self begins to be corrupt and will worship oneself or worship one’s gifts, success and influence, fame and power. We will tend to worship ourselves rather than God, the Giver of everything and the source of all riches.
The Gospel tells us that Jesus was actually led by the Spirit of God into the desert to be tempted. Jesus was victorious over the temptations because his chose life and hope not death and chose God rather than the devil.
The message for us today is to allow the Holy Spirit to lead us into our own deserts, to face our own struggles, difficulties and problems. We are called not to escape from our own difficulties and challenges in life but to face them with courage and faith. Like Jesus, we too are assured that the Holy Spirit is with us. Hopefully, we may discover and reaffirm God’s tremendous love and forgiveness for us in this season of Lent, to renew and transform us. Hinaut pa.
“What would you do if your boss offered you big amount of money and promised you a high-paying job and much better job position, if you only betray your innocent supervisor and bear false witness against him in court for money-laundering?”, a priest once asked this question to his three friends.
The first friend answered, “No, I will not take the money and the lucrative offer.” The priest said, “You are stupid foolish man.” The second friend retorted, “Well, Yes I will take the offer. I will not waste such special opportunity.” The priest said, “You are crooked criminal”. The third friend replied, “I really don’t know what to do? Will I overcome my evil inclinations? Or Will my evil inclinations overcome me to claim for myself what is not mine and to do what should not be done? I really don’t know. But if God will blessed and strengthen me to go against all my evil inclinations, I will not accept the money and offer of my wicked boss. The priest then said, “You’re right, and you are a good wise man.”
Everytime we pray the Lord’s Prayer “Our Father”, we specially ask the Lord to lead us not into temptations in life. This is because in our experience, temptations are very real in life. Part and parcel of our daily struggles is to deal with temptations that comes our way in life, all the time challenging and testing our faith, values and principles in life. Nobody among us here can claim that we are never been tempted or burdened by temptations in life. Each one of us in one way or another, had dealt, have been dealing and still dealing with a number of temptations in our day to day lives.
We might say that we have three ways or approaches in dealing with life-temptations: We may Get-rid, Get-into, or Get through temptations in life.
First, we may “Get-rid” of life-temptations. Whenever confronted with temptations, here we may resist, fight with and fly from these temptations. We do it on our own in overcoming our evil inclinations and the temptations. The priest called the first friend as “stupid fool” because he choose to deal with (get rid of) temptation on his own. He doesn’t know himself – believing that he is strong enough to resist and deal with temptation on his own. No one even saints, (except Jesus), has ever overpowered temptations in life. Usually temptations overcome us not because we are weak but because we are too proud to think that we are strong enough to overcome temptations. Getting rid of temptations is a stupid and foolish option.
Second, we may “Get-into” the temptations. Whenever confronted, we just get into and allow ourselves to submit and be overcome by temptations itself. We do nothing ourselves but be corrupted by temptations – hurting not only others but also ourselves along the way. The priest called the second friend a “crooked criminal” because he opts to get into temptations – willingly claim what he is not due him, and do wrongdoing, without any qualms whatsoever. For such kind of men, temptations are opportunities for them to take advantage of others for their own benefits and glory. Getting into temptation is a crooked criminal approach to temptation.
Third, we may “Get-through” of temptations in life. Here whenever we are confronted with temptations in life, we willingly face and struggle along with these temptations – aware that on our own we are weak and limited but also we steadfastly believe in God’s power with us to overcome such temptations. The priest praised the third as “good and wise” because he knows that like all of us, we are basically weak people. He hopes that in the midst of temptations, we will be strong enough to do what is right and our part. But he also knows that we can only do this with God’s help and strength, and we are most willing to ask and pray for God’s help. He knows that in dealing with life-temptations, there is always a struggle-within as well as reliance in God’s help. Getting through temptations is a good and wise option in dealing with life-temptations.
Easy for us indeed to fall into temptations. The biggest problem in dealing with temptations is our lack of self-knowledge, our lack of recognizing and overcoming the evil within ourselves. We struggle with the evils of others and in our society but the toughest struggle is to acknowledge and overcome the evil within our own selves, the evil in our own hearts. We were born with conflicting goodness and evil within. That is why we can be good and can do good, but not easily, since there are always tensions and struggles within ourselves. Moreover, we can only withstand these difficulties, if we are wise enough to rely not only in our strength but in God’s help and power.
If we think we can overcome these life-temptations and evils only by and through own strength and power, we are surely wrong and are doomed to failure for we don’t have the power and capacity to resist temptations. But like Jesus, if we are wise enough to acknowledge and ask for, and rely on God’s help, strength and will, surely we can overcome evils and temptations in others as well as within ourselves.
Notice Satan mainly tempts us in life in order to prove to God that we don’t care about God and others but only care about ourselves. Temptations usually happen then whenever we only care about ourselves, not about God and others. But by our faith and reliance in God’s help and power over temptations, we prove Satan wrong and proclaim our Love and Care for God and others.
In praying then to God not to lead us into temptations, we pray to God to guide us through not in getting rid or getting into but in getting through life-temptations because we care less about ourselves, but we care more about God and others in life.
Father, lead us then not into temptation.
Shared by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR – a Filipino Redemptorist Missionary in South Korea
In the comedy film Evan Almighty, God said to Evan Baxter: “If you want to change the world, build an ARK.” Only later after all the trouble of exactly building a big ark that Evan Baxter realized that an ark simply means: one single act of random kindness at a time, i.e. one single ARK (act of random kindness) at a time.
Days after Valentine’s Day, with all the decorations around us, we could say that until now, love is still in the air or we still got valentines’ day hang-overs upon us. Valentine’s Day is the day we honor and celebrate Love as we experience it in Life. Human as we are, we know how it is to love and be loved by others. We celebrate Valentine’s Day because we live life with love, in love and out of love. We know that Life without love is directionless and worthless. Though it’s a constant challenge, living life then with love, in love and out of love make life more meaningful.
In our gospel today, while preaching to His disciples His Sermon on the Mount, we get a glimpse of Jesus’ take on our experience of love in life. Here He invites us that in our loving, we must “love our enemies, go another mile, offer your cloak and other cheek as well and be perfect as our Father”. Surely we are already familiar with these words, which are nice words to listen. But easily falls into deaf-ears and slogans because they are difficult to practice. The kind of love Jesus is asking us here are very unusual and demanding, and even Stupid Love, as Salbakuta (Filipino rap-band) would say. Jesus knows already that human as we are, we are loved and loving people. But now for us to be perfect and holy in our lovelife, he requires us to go beyond with our human ways of loving and follow His and God’s way of loving, i.e. Christian Love: To love one another AS (like, same way as) He and the Father has loved us. In other words, to love others same way as God and Jesus love and loving us.
But why Christian Love, the love Jesus requires of us, is difficult and demanding in our experience of love in life? What makes Christian love, God’s way of loving unusual, hard and tough, and even stupid?
Though we live life with love, in love and out of love, human as we are, we do have the tendency to place love at the distance both in place and time.
We place love at the distance in TIME, because we are more willing to postpone doing good than do bad things right away. Easy for us to delay faith, hope and love, but instead, attend readily to fear, greed and anger. Why only during Valentine’s Day you remember and celebrate that you are loving and loved, and that you need love in life? Yes, we do tend to postpone love, but we also know in our experience of love that love is for Now or Never.
We also tend to place love at the distance in PLACE. We rather love others from a distance and at a distance. Why is it that we have more virtual friends in Facebook and others social media than our actual intimate personal friends? Why is it that we are more open, chatty, and relax in Facebook and messengers but silent and awkward face to face with others? This is because we are afraid to love, simply because love makes us vulnerable, exposed and weak before others. However, if we are afraid to love then it is not Love but Fear.
In other words, though we tend to postpone and distance from love, Love is really Here and Now, and not There and Later.
For Jesus then, Christian love, to love and be loved like His and the Father’s, is Here and Now – not there and later, not at a distance and from a distance. Love for Jesus then is and should be an ARK, act of random kindness. This is the kind of Love, Jesus requires us to live and practice in life. If we want to change our world with Love, we must change our love into Christian love by building our love into ARK – by living and loving in one simple Act of Random Kindness at a time. Unusual, difficult, tough and stupid it maybe, Loving others same as (like) Jesus and the Father loved us, leads us to redemption towards God’s kingdom.
As our church song suggests, by and through our love (as Jesus loved us), may we be known as Christians, for others “will know we are Christians by our love”. Amen.
Shared by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR – a Filipino Redemptorist Missionary in South Korea
A number of times I was asked: “Do you believe in chain letters?”
I said: “Generally I don’t trust anything that offers promises or threats with an IF –(meaning, with conditions) you do or don’t this or that. In my book, deserved gifts are called prizes or salary, but underserved gifts are called Grace and blessings. God’s grace is not something we do to God, but what God does to us.
Just be the better Christian person, as you choose and can be, not as what others (in chain letters) want you to be.”
For the past Sundays, we have been hearing about the public ministry of Jesus where he proclaims to us the Good News of God’s salvation. In his preaching, Jesus basically calls us to change our ways, good or bad we may be, for God is with us (Repent for the Kingdom of God is at hand). He then in Beatitudes makes known to us how blessed we who are meek, humble, merciful, righteous and sensitive enough to welcome God’s blessings into our lives (Blessed are you…). He also reminds us that much as we are blessed, we are also a blessings to others (You are the salt of the earth and the light of the world). Wow, what a good news indeed to us. In a nutshell, we need to change our life for we are already and always blessed and a blessing to others, since God is with us and his Kingdom is at hand. This is the very core message of Jesus ever since and until now as being always proclaimed to us and by us, His Church.
After always hearing, reflecting and knowing Jesus’ good news of God’s salvation for us, what now? Somehow we wonder as to how to gratefully respond to and live out such great blessing into our lives. How can we remain, endure and persevere in living with Jesus’ gospel in our day to day living? Like, Now what are we to do to respond and be converted and practice His gospel into our lives?
Definitely for Jesus, it is more than just keeping the Ten Commandments or observing the Torah, the Law of Moses. In our gospel today, we hear the Sermon on the Mount of Jesus wherein he directs us how to live in the good news of God’s salvation. By reviewing and commenting on the Torah, which is the Jewish standard of righteousness, Jesus reorients people that there is far better in His message of God’s salvation than just observing the Law of Moses. He reiterates that God’s kingdom is more than just the practice of not killing, not committing adultery, and not making false promises. God’s kingdom is more so and all about respecting life, reverence for people’s union – making marriage sacred, and living life with integrity. For Jesus then, to live in His message of God’s salvation is not a matter of just practicing and observing but more so fulfilling the Law of Moses. Here Jesus is upgrading the Jewish Law of Moses into His message and mission of teaching, preaching, sharing, and witnessing the values of God’s kingdom in our lives. An Upgrade from Torah to the Spirit of Jesus.
Important here is the consistency between our being and our doing now as Christian. In a way, Jesus is teaching us that our actions must reflect our being now as blessed and blessing people. In other words, Be consistent with who you are now with what you do, as Christian.
Meaning, far beyond the practice (living out) the values of God’s Kingdom, there must be spirituality. For Spirituality is the “because I am” of the “why”s in life, i.e. “Why I do this or do that?” “Because I am…”. Spirituality is thus the spirit behind the action, the meaning behind the practice. (I work abroad because I am a family person.. I take care of sick people because I am a nurse/doctor. I attend Eucharist every Sunday because I am Catholic Christian). What matters then is not just about the practice and behavior but also the spirit behind the practice and behavior (not only about what we do but why we do it), knowing that ours is a grateful response to what God does and doing to us, (and not like chain-letters, what we may do as bribe or payment for His graces, & what others expect us to do).
Perhaps you may reflect about your spirituality. Why you do what you do? Be in touch with the meaning and spirit behind your actions. Pray that you be a better blessed and blessing Christian you choose and can be, not as others may want you to be. Pray also that our actions be a response to what God does and is doing to us rather than as what we do to Him.
And in doing so, may we remain salt of the earth and light of the world, and become His blessed and blessing witnesses to our today’s world. Amen.
Shared by Fr. Mar Masangcay, CSsR – a Filipino Redemptorist Missionary in South Korea
A DOSE OF GOD TODAY 