Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Year 1

  • OVERCONFIDENCE AND ITS TENDENCIES

    OVERCONFIDENCE AND ITS TENDENCIES

    February 24, 2025 – Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022425.cfm)

    What would happen when we become “overconfident”? How would such attitude affect our relationships, work or any endeavors in life? In one way or another, you might have already met a person who was so overconfident or perhaps that has become also our very own attitude. Overconfidence portrays towards others the ability to over-estimate our capacities, knowledge and talents. In fact, it is a kind of “cognitive bias” meaning having “the tendency to act in an irrational way because of our limited ability to process information objectively.[1]” This means that we create and believe a different reality from people around us.

    This would explain why when we become overconfident, we believe that we know more than others even with those who are actually experts. We could easily brag or boast ourselves and the achievements or experiences that we have as if ours were so unique and exemplary. Thus, we focus more on ourselves and putting the spotlight directly at us. It is not new then, that we would usually exaggerate things in the way we talk and we do things. It is a kind of proving others that we are indeed “so capable.”

    However, being an overconfident person, it would also be so difficult for us to accept criticisms or corrections. As a result, it is easy for us to find someone or something to blame for the failure or the mistake that may happen. Moreover, we would tend to make poor decisions because we don’t acknowledge what is really happening. It is also true that we find it hard to adjust or to learn new things and new ways because we have become fixated to what we already have and know.

    This is how an overconfident person could impede team or community building because we don’t listen and accept other perspectives and knowledge. We become annoying to the point that people around us would not really believe in us. In a relationship, an overconfident person can also easily dismiss a partner’s opinion, needs and concerns. This will later create more issues in the relationship.

    These are just few scenarios when we become overconfident. Yet, it is also important that we become grounded and we learn to accept our limitations so that we continue to grow, mature and be more wise.

    And so, let us discover today how such attitude also affected the disciples of Jesus in their ministry and realize how “prayer and wisdom” play significant contributions in our Christian life.

    Some of the disciples of Jesus were arguing with a crowd of people and some scribes. It happened that a man brought his son possessed by a mute spirit. However, the disciples couldn’t do anything.

    Before such event, the disciples were already sent by Jesus to help in the ministry. They have been given the authority to heal the sick and drive out demons. They were successful in their previous interventions. Yet, this time. They were unable to do so.

    It was not surprising at all how Jesus responded to their question, “Why could we not drive the spirit out?” Jesus answered, “This kind can only come out of prayer.”

    So, what happened to the disciples then? We can only presume that the disciples, indeed, forgot that the power to heal and give freedom to the possessed come from God alone. They who had been so successful in their previous healing miracles must have thought that those were made possible because of their own abilities and power.

    The disciples somehow over-estimated their human strength and abilities. They became overconfident to the point that they argued with people instead of asking the grace from the Lord in prayer. They must have been trying to heal the boy in their name and forgot Jesus. This was the reason why Jesus blurted out, “O faithless generation, how long will I be with you?”

    Yet, after giving freedom and healing to the boy, Jesus has to remind his disciples the importance of self-awareness, of being able to accept one’s limitations and to truly recognize God’s powerful presence. Being able to do so will make us wise. The Book of Sirach reminds us of this. “All wisdom comes from the Lord… and prudent understanding from eternity.”

    These are now the invitations for us today.

    First, overconfidence makes us only stupid and truly incapable and not wise. This will rather prevent us to grow as a person and to develop healthy relationships.

    Second, it is in humble acceptance of our limitations and weaknesses that we become truly wise. Indeed, we become open to learn and unlearn things.

    Third, prayer makes acknowledge that true power comes from God. We are able to bring healing, life and freedom because we make ourselves instruments of God’s grace. Hinaut pa.

    [1] Kassiani Nikolopoulou, What Is Cognitive Bias? Definition, Types & Examples, publishes on Nov. 11, 2022 (https://www.scribbr.com/research-bias/cognitive-bias/#:~:text=Cognitive%20bias%20is%20the%20tendency,%2C%20people%2C%20or%20potential%20risks.)

  • Babel and the Tower of Human Arrogance

    Babel and the Tower of Human Arrogance

    February 21, 2025 – Friday Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022125.cfm)

    A person who excessively seeks self-importance, attention and recognition from people at the expense of others creates a toxic environment at home, at work, at school or in any relationship the person has with others. This behavioral pattern may develop into a disorder such as the Narcissistic Personality Disorder[1] in which a person also lacks the ability to understand or care other people around him or her.

    However, the overwhelming confidence behind this façade is the unsure self-worth and self-value, thus, insecurities when faced even with slightest criticism from others.

    Moreover, it is in fact very important for our own development and growth in self-confidence to seek and receive affirmations from others. Yet, what we need to learn as well in order to find balance is to have the ability to feel for others, the capacity to care and extend ourselves for others or for the sake of others. It is when we become so contained and exclusive that we become toxic in many aspects of our life.

    With this in mind, let us discern how the Lord also makes us remember the dangers of such attitude in our heart and to where God is leading us to learn.

    The story we have in the Book of Genesis today, speaks of the human tendency to be proud and arrogant. The tower of Babel tells us of this human aspiration to be powerful and become like God. The people at that time said, “Come, let us build ourselves a city and  tower with its top in the sky, and so make a name for ourselves.” Yet, this made the people to be exclusive and arrogant.

    They wanted a name for themselves so that they will be looked up and praised. However, this exclusivity made them incapable of following what God wanted. Earlier, God told Noah and his children, “Be fertile, then, and multiply; abound on earth and subdue it.”

    Indeed, the tower of Babel expressed earthly power and riches. Humanity believed that these things were enough for them to make a name for themselves and become powerful like God who created the world. Hence, as those who built the city and the tower, became exclusive, they also refused God’s command to fill the earth.

    The people decided to just stay in that place, in that city and to not anymore share their knowledge, experiences, graces and riches in other parts of the earth. They have become comfortable and well settled to the point that they did not want to go out from their comforts.

    However, it was said that the Lord had seen this and realized as well the evil intentions in the hearts of the people. This was the reason why the Lord scattered them by confusing and dividing them. When they spoke differently, people did not understand and did not care to understand each other.

    From here, we realize that our human efforts and aspirations when they only come from greed, pride and arrogance to become great and powerful are certainly worthless. Our mere human success, wealth and power are not the keys to be great in the eyes of God, but in our capacity to be give and be for others.

    This brings us now into the message of the Gospel today. Jesus expressed a way of life that was different from the people who tried to build a city and the tower of Babel. Jesus tells us that to be a true disciple of him is not about boasting oneself, of our successes in life, of our influence and power over others.

    A true disciple, rather, is a person who denies himself for the sake of others, who carries his own cross and follows Jesus. A true Christian is a person who remains humble before God, who recognizes his/her smallness and dependence, yet, also embraces the presence of God who gives him/her the strength to carry the cross.

    Let us remember, that human effort and strength and our successes in life are not evil. In fact, these are gifts from the Lord and not reasons that we become greedy and self-righteous. What we have received, achieved or accumulated in this life give us the opportunities to be able to share our gifts, talents and ourselves to our community.

    This calls us now that our families, groups, organizations, and communities become inclusive and welcoming. Indeed, to be inclusive and to be hospitable are natural to a Christian home, to a Christian organization or community. May that spirit lead us to give, to share and to reach out even to those who are different from us. Hinaut pa.

    [1] https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/narcissistic-personality-disorder/symptoms-causes/syc-20366662#:~:text=Narcissistic%20personality%20disorder%20is%20a,want%20people%20to%20admire%20them.

  • The Sign of God’s Covenant  

    The Sign of God’s Covenant  

    February 20, 2025 – Thursday Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022025.cfm)

    When I was assigned in Sumba Island in Indonesia in 2014, it was my first time to see a double rainbow in the sky. And it did not disappear immediately. I was so amazed because most of time there would only be one rainbow and would just easily disappear after few minutes.

    This phenomenon is due to the reflection of the sun to the raindrops in the sky. And as the sunlight reflects twice in a raindrop, thus, creating another reflection above the primary rainbow.

    Today, the rainbow has also become a sign of pride, unity and diversity of the LGBTQ+ community. Yet, at the very beginning, as to be found in the Holy Scriptures, it was God the Creator who first made this bow from above, which now we call as rainbow, as a sign of God’s covenant and faithfulness to us.

    Let us explore a bit our readings today, and discern how God invites us to grow in our relationship with one another, with the whole created world and with the Lord.

    In the story of Noah, we have heard how the Lord renewed the covenant with the whole human family. The Lord God still sees hope in us. And the wonder of this renewal of the covenant with God, as God says, “I am now establishing my covenant with you,” carries with it the call and responsibility to nurture, cherish, develop and give life.

    What does it mean? As the Lord renews the covenant, God also demanded an accounting for the life of every animal and every human life. This is not a threat from God but rather the Lord wants us to value every life. This is how the Lord wants us to flourish and discover the wonder of life here on earth and be embraced by life itself through the whole creation of God. Every creature of the Lord reflects God’s goodness and love and every human being also reflects and carries God’s image.

    In this way, we understand the call to be fertile and multiply within the context of life, in nurturing, cherishing, developing and giving life. This calls us to defend life from anything that will suppress life, abuse life and destroy life.

    The very covenant that we have with God is a testament of that life and promise of the fullness of life. The rainbow is not just some ideological color, however, it is a biblical sign of God’s presence among us, a sign of life and a sign of renewal.

    This calls us further to commit ourselves into that covenant with God so that we too shall become cooperators of God’s action and presence in the world in bringing and giving life, in recreating and renewing our community.

    We can fully express this in our homes, communities and organizations, and into our relationships. Every time we give hope to those who are hopeless, every time we give a helping hand to those who need it, every time we give more attention in taking care of animals and of nature, every time we defend and nurture every human life – these are simple ways of expressing that covenant and call to give life.

    In a way, the Gospel today tells us also how Peter recognized the fullness of life in Jesus as he confessed that certainly, Jesus is the Christ. However, after realizing that Jesus is to be persecuted, will suffer and die, Peter retreated from his commitment to be with Jesus, the Christ.

    Like Peter, if we confess that Jesus is the Christ, our Lord and Savior, then, this implies commitment and risk. After all, when we commit ourselves to somebody we love, risks and sacrifices are implied.

    As we embrace the covenant God made with us, may we come to fully commit in that relationship with the Lord. Let us therefore, allow our human relationships and relationship with the rest of the created world to be fertile where we can multiply love and multiply life. Hinaut pa.

  • Seeing but not Recognizing

    Seeing but not Recognizing

    February 19, 2024 – Wednesday Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021925.cfm)

    Have you ever experienced searching for something yet could not find it? After a while, that object was actually right in front of you. You must have seen it but was not able to recognize that it is was what you were looking for. Perhaps, as you were walking on a street, a friend met you and greeted you, yet, you were unresponsive. You’ve seen the person but was not able to recognize that it was a friend of yours.

    In medical term, it is called as “agnosia.” This is a disorder of which a person sees an object despite the normal vision but cannot identify what the object is. In particular, this is called as “visual agnosia.” There is also so called “auditory agnosia” of which we heard something but cannot recognize what it was.

    In psychology, this is referred to as “inattentional blindness.” This means that we fail to notice or see something within our visual field because our attention or consciousness is so focused on something or somewhere else. This also applies to our hearing. As a result, we become absent-minded and out-of-focused.

    In our Christian faith, this can also happen. And this is best described in today’s healing story of the blind man in the Gospel of Mark. Jesus who took the blind man by the hand and brought him outside of the village performed the healing. Jesus has to do it twice for the person to see and recognize clearly. The man’s eyes were healed at the fist attempt yet, cannot distinguish between people and trees, thus, a “spiritual agnosia”. And so, for the second time, Jesus touched his eyes then his sight was completely restored.

    What the man received was not only physical healing but also spiritual healing. This means that he was both blind physically and spiritually. As he was healed and restored completely only then that he recognized the Lord’s face in front of him. Then, he was told not to go back to the village of Bethsaida.

    The actions in this healing story are filled with spiritual insights and so, let us take them one by one. Jesus needed to take the blind man out of the village and later told him not to go back. Bethsaida was a symbol of a place of evil, sin and rejection of God’s presence. Jesus was not accepted there.

    Hence, in order for the man to be freed from his illness, he too needed to be freed from that place that made him blind. He was told not to go back but to go home, so that he won’t be able to go back to his old cycle of darkness and sin.

    Jesus also allowed his disciples to witness this event to make them realize of the importance not just of our physical sight but also of our spiritual insight. The disciples actually struggled and found difficulty at recognizing of the wonders that Jesus did. They remained anxious on what to eat even though Jesus fed five thousand people. They were troubled when things got rough and difficult even when Jesus was with them in the boat. At this time, they were still figuring out who Jesus really was. Indeed, they too were blind, spiritually blind because their hearts were still filled with fear, anxieties and doubts. Hence, they too had spiritual agnosia.

    Yet, Jesus remained patient just like with the blind man, until such a time they too received the spiritual insight and recognized that God was with them all along.

    This calls us now to ask for the grace of spiritual insight. This begins by humble owning and acknowledging the beliefs, attitudes or experiences that continually bring us into darkness and sin.

    Indeed, we may have a perfect physical vision and some may have blurred vision and so the need of eye glasses, but most importantly, may we too have a perfect spiritual sight to see and recognize the Lord, his gifts and manifestations. Hinaut pa.

  • Goodness in the midst of Evil

    Goodness in the midst of Evil

    February 18, 2024 – Tuesday Sixth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/021825.cfm)

    The rise and popularity of the social media platforms have significantly reshaped our consciousness on many matters as individuals and society. The influences that we get and receive from constant interaction whether passive or active interaction in social media, affect how we think and believe, behave and act.

    In consequence, fake news and disinformation entertained by many have been very damaging into our culture and relationships. People who are not aware of the sources and the credibility of the reports, are being deceived and in effect brought more damage to the community by spreading them. However, through the social media, we also realize that it can be a medium to raise proper and correct awareness of the realities in our communities. Hence, this kind of influence promotes social awareness for activism and social change.

    Aside from this, there are also other “offline” influences that we get from around us. These may come from people whom we interact with personally. Significant persons, persons in authority, peers and organizations of which we are affiliated can also influence that way we behave and make decisions. Spiritually, we also believe in the influence from good or the evil spirit.

    Being aware of the many influences that surrounds us, Jesus also reminds us of this. In today’s Gospel of Mark the Lord firmly warned his friends, he said, “Watch out, guard against the leaven of the Pharisees and the leaven of Herod.”

    The leaven is used to make the dough to rise, was used by Jesus as an image to depict the silent but cunning influence of the Pharisees and of Herod. The passive yet indifferent, aggressive and oppressive attitudes of the Pharisees and of Herod was so attractive to people who tend to seek recognition and praise and those who tend to worship the powerful and the corrupt, the arrogant and the aggressive. They portrayed that those who have the power and influence were always the victorious.

    Jesus seemed to see and realize such tendencies among the disciples. This was the reason why Jesus reminded them when they began to worry of having not enough bread. Even until that moment, they did not yet recognize that the Lord was with them and had already worked wonders by feeding thousands of people. This prompted Jesus to ask them, “Are your hearts hardened? Do you have eyes and not see, ears and not hear?”

    The hardened hearts, the eyes that couldn’t see and the ears that couldn’t hear must have been gripped through the influence of selfishness.

    This is what we realize in the story from the Book of Genesis. We are reminded of the disheartening event where the Lord regretted and his heart was grieved. God found evil in the hearts of humanity. Their hearts had been influenced and consumed by wickedness and evil. With that, the Lord can’t play a blind eye to the atrocities committed by humanity. God decided to wipe out the earth and reshape it.

    Yet, Noah found favor with the Lord. Noah was neither influenced nor consumed by evil and selfishness. Rather, Noah remained obedient and devoted to God even when others were not. Noah carefully listened to God’s voice and followed God’s commands even when he was ridiculed and insulted. Noah remained concerned and faithful. Indeed, there was goodness in the heart of Noah even in the midst of evil around him. This was how the Lord found hope in us to reshape the earth and renew our hearts.

    Today, like the disciples and like what happed in the story of the Book of Genesis, the Lord also calls us to watch out those distractions or influences that may lead us away from the grace of God, from God’s presence and away from each other. We may always realize that God is working wonders in us and through us.

    Let us not allow our hearts be influenced by evil or selfishness or by our negative emotions. Let us recognize, see and understand those many wonders that God is doing in our lives. The Lord calls us that we may be influenced by God’s grace in our sacraments, by God’s words in the Bible, and by the Holy Spirit. Hinaut pa.