Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: Quiet

  • Travel with Him

    Travel with Him

    June 20, 2021 – 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/062021.cfm)

    As a Redemptorist missionary, traveling is a big part and parcel of my life and work. As we all know, to journey around the Philippine islands would entail a lot of travel by land, sea or air. This would mean taking the car, bus, tricycle, boat, walk, bike, horse, fast ferry or plane and/or combination of all.

    Once at the pre-departure area of Cebu SuperCat terminal, it was announced that our trip to Dumaguete on that day was cancelled due to incoming typhoon. A number of us were grumbling as we lined up ourselves to get our ticket refunded. It happened that one of the passengers recognized me and chatted with me. Expressing her disgust, she suggested to me, “Father, why don’t you pray like Jesus did, for the storm to pass us by.” I replied to her, “It never and will never cross my mind that I am Christ, or I am the Christ. I am a Christian, just a mere follower of Christ.”

    Our Gospel today about calming of the storm, I think, teaches us about our life as Christians. It tells us what it means to be a Christian. The word Christian comes from the proper noun “Christ”, which means Messiah or Savior and the suffix “ian” which mean a follower of, a fan of. Meaning, to be a Christian is not to be Christ, but to be a disciple or follower of Christ. It is like if one is a follower of Vilma, they are called “Vilmanian,” and “Noranians” for Nora. The suffix “ian” could have an acronym. If we attached IAN to Christ, IAN could mean I Am Now with Christ. But if we detach or separate “ian” from Christ, IAN could mean I Am Nothing without Christ. Meaning, if we only remain in Him, we are assured of our salvation and eternal life. Apart from Him, we are nobody. With Him, we are blessed.

    In our world today, we could recognize that there are people who claim that they are Christ, who promised that they will save us, thinks that only them who can save us, and through their own efforts, on their own, they can save themselves and others – in other words, people with messianic complex. There are also people nowadays who expect others to be their Christ who will do and save the day for them. Just like people, who wants and expects others, like their priests & government officials to heal them from sickness, forgive their sins and faults, solve their problems, fix their mess, help them financially and even perform miracles like calming the storm, exorcised their demons, and others.

    Our Gospel is a clear reminder that Jesus is the Christ, and we are Christians – His mere follower. As Christians then, we need Christ – we need to be and live life with Him for without Him we can do nothing. We thus need to travel & journey with Him in our day to day lives.

    Jesus also is teaching us today about PEACE, COURAGE, and FAITH. First of all, Peace is not the absence of war, conflict, storms or turmoil in life, but Peace is the sense of Calmness in the midst of life-storms, and the sense of Serenity despite wars, conflict, and difficulties in life. We cannot avoid storms in life, but what is required of us is the calmness and serenity of Jesus who says: “Quiet” amid these storms, and difficulties.  He also teaches us that Courage is more than just moving on – moving fighting forward, but more on holding our ground, facing the odds, still holding on standing, and asking for help.

    Jesus who says: “Be Still” shows us courage in the midst of the storm not by fighting or controlling it, but by facing the storm without being overwhelmed by it. In the same way, courage in the midst of life-storms and difficulties would mean the Christ-like attitude of not only “no retreat, no surrender”, but also “don’t fight nor flee but face it and ask for help”. Facing life-adversities is not about getting rid and getting out, but more so getting through life-challenges.  And lastly, Jesus who asks: “Do you not yet have faith?” is also teaching us that Faith is not more than just the absence of fear and doubt, but to remain steadfast and trusting in the Lord’s will and ways, even when in fear and doubt.

    In life, then, as His followers, we travel with the Lord in peace, courage & faith. Via con Dios. Go with God, Walk with Jesus.

    As Christians, followers of Christ we pray that we may always recognize His presence and help in our life journey and so bless us with peace, courage, and faith in the midst of storms in life, most especially during these pandemic times. Amen.

  • L-I-S-T-E-N

    L-I-S-T-E-N

    February 28, 2021 – Second Sunday of Lent

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022821.cfm)

    Once a man approached a priest and asked, “Father, how come God seems so absent and silent? Why we don’t feel and hear him listening to us anymore 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. It is that no one these days can stoop down low & silent enough to listen. No one… can stoop down low & silent enough… to listen.”

    Occasionally (if not most often) we experience the absence and silence of God in Jesus. Though we trust and believe that God is with us – the Lord is with us, we live through moments in life where God and Jesus seem 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 last Ash Wednesday this year, Pope Francis in his message suggests some things that we may fast from this Lenten Season. Like fasting from hurting words, sadness, anger, pessimism, worries, complaints, bitterness, selfishness, grudges & finally, from words. Noteworthy is his last final suggestion: “Fast from words; be silent and listen.” Sound simple, but we do know how difficult for ourselves to be deprived of and abstained from words nowadays. With a lot of things happening & going on, both our world outside & our world inside ourselves are getting noisier & noisier to the point that we cannot anymore hear ourselves & don’t know anymore how to listen to others, much more to God. If we really come to think of it, sometimes we do truly need to fast from our words so that we may become silent in order to listen to God, others & ourselves. We do know the destructive ill-effects of miscommunication, misinformation, & fake news to our lives today, simply because of our irresponsible use of our words & our unwillingness to listen. At this time, we should be wise-enough to be careful to use our words, for it can make life Better OR Bitter. Learn to listen first before using our words.

    It is also interesting that if we happen to play with the letters in the word: LISTEN, we may realize different levels of meaning. Try to rearrange all the letters in the word: Listen, and form other words using all & same letters… Well, from the word, “Listen”, we can form the words “silent” & “enlist” & nothing else. From these words: listen, silent, enlist, we may form the challenge: “Enlist oneself to be silent in order to listen”, or “Be silent, enlist oneself to listen”, or “Listen, silently enlist oneself”. All of these reflects the need to for us to willingly be quiet ourselves in order to hear what is being said. In other words, to opt for silent listening amidst our noisy words & our noisy world.   

    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 word 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 seeming silence and absence. Only 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 ika-sulti nato. Di pag-gahud, Ari siya. May inug-hambal sa aton. Jesus is God’s word for us. So, LISTEN to Him. Makinig Sa kanya. Minaw Niya ba.

    Pope Francis also 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, 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. Thus, we do need to fast from our words in order to be silent enough to 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, especially during this Lenten Season & on our pandemic times.

    So Help us God, So May it Be. Amen.