Monday, June 29, 2009

Human Respect

We are not talking here about the basic respect due to every person as one created in God’s image. Rather the reference is to a pejorative or negative aspect of the term which is referred to when we are influenced to do some evil act because of opinions or pressures of people around us. It could also mean abstaining from doing a good and righteous act because of fear or deference for those people around.

“Many of them, however, believed in Jesus, even among the rulers, but they did not acknowledge him because of the Pharisees, lest they be put out of the Jewish community. They preferred to be approved by people rather than by God. Yet Jesus had said, and even cried out, ‘He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And he who sees me, sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I am not the one to condemn him; for, I have come not to condemn the world but to save the world. He who rejects me, and does not receive my word, already has a judge; the very word I have spoken will condemn him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has instructed me in what to say and how to speak. I know that his commandment is eternal life, and I give my message as the Father instructed me.’(Jn. 12:42-50)”



It might take so much prayer and effort to conquer our evil human inclinations and shamefulness, but as Jesus assures us and with our patience aided by God’s grace, we can remind ourselves of what Jesus told a rich young man: “For man this is impossible but for God everything is possible” (Mt. 19:26).

Human Respect

We are not talking here about the basic respect due to every person as one created in God’s image. Rather the reference is to a pejorative or negative aspect of the term which is referred to when we are influenced to do some evil act because of opinions or pressures of people around us. It could also mean abstaining from doing a good and righteous act because of fear or deference for those people around.

“Many of them, however, believed in Jesus, even among the rulers, but they did not acknowledge him because of the Pharisees, lest they be put out of the Jewish community. They preferred to be approved by people rather than by God. Yet Jesus had said, and even cried out, ‘He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And he who sees me, sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I am not the one to condemn him; for, I have come not to condemn the world but to save the world. He who rejects me, and does not receive my word, already has a judge; the very word I have spoken will condemn him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has instructed me in what to say and how to speak. I know that his commandment is eternal life, and I give my message as the Father instructed me.’(Jn. 12:42-50)”



It might take so much prayer and effort to conquer our evil human inclinations and shamefulness, but as Jesus assures us and with our patience aided by God’s grace, we can remind ourselves of what Jesus told a rich young man: “For man this is impossible but for God everything is possible” (Mt. 19:26).

Human Respect

We are not talking here about the basic respect due to every person as one created in God’s image. Rather the reference is to a pejorative or negative aspect of the term which is referred to when we are influenced to do some evil act because of opinions or pressures of people around us. It could also mean abstaining from doing a good and righteous act because of fear or deference for those people around.

“Many of them, however, believed in Jesus, even among the rulers, but they did not acknowledge him because of the Pharisees, lest they be put out of the Jewish community. They preferred to be approved by people rather than by God. Yet Jesus had said, and even cried out, ‘He who believes in me, believes not in me but in him who sent me. And he who sees me, sees him who sent me. I have come into the world as light, so that whoever believes in me may not remain in darkness. If anyone hears my words and does not keep them, I am not the one to condemn him; for, I have come not to condemn the world but to save the world. He who rejects me, and does not receive my word, already has a judge; the very word I have spoken will condemn him on the last day. For I have not spoken on my own authority; the Father who sent me has instructed me in what to say and how to speak. I know that his commandment is eternal life, and I give my message as the Father instructed me.’(Jn. 12:42-50)”



It might take so much prayer and effort to conquer our evil human inclinations and shamefulness, but as Jesus assures us and with our patience aided by God’s grace, we can remind ourselves of what Jesus told a rich young man: “For man this is impossible but for God everything is possible” (Mt. 19:26).

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Sincerity Needed

At the bottom of most troubles is that lack of sincerity, I mean, a lack of being true to oneself. How many times the Lord Jesus reproved the Jewish Pharisees for such pretentious hypocrisy (see Mt. 23:1-39; Lk. 11: 37-54). Jesus also asked us to imitate the truthfulness of little children as a condition for entering our final destiny of happiness with God in heaven. Remember how important is that, since there are only two finalities of man, either heaven or hell, both of them forever and always. That is, a heaven of eternal bliss with God or eternal hell fire with Satan (see Mt. 25:31-46). Even in the poem Hamlet, Shakespeare expresses a fact: "to thine ownself be true and it will follow as night follows day, you will be true to every man."

What's there in children that made Jesus indignant that the disciples were turning them away: "Let the little children come to me and do not stop them; for it is to such as these that the kingdom of God belongs. I tell you solemnly, anyone who does not welcome the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it" (cf. Lk. 18:15; Mt. 18:2; Mt. 19:13-15; Mk. 10:13-16). What's there in a child? Think of the following adjectives: candid, frank, open, truthful, unpretentious, genuine, free from hypocrisy or pretense.

What do we see in our complicated world? A lot of hidden agenda in relationships or transactions swerving from the main goal, deception, double-talk, etc. These will not lead to God's kingdom because God is a God of truth (Jn. 14:6) while as Jesus says: "the devil is a murderer and the father of lies" (Jn. 8:44). Therefore, say what you mean and mean what you say and don't be part Satan's company. For those who don't think honest respect to superiors is of value, allow me to quote from the eminent mystic and doctor of the Church, St. John of the Cross: "God desires the least degree of obedience and submissiveness more than all those services you think of rendering him."

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Financial Crisis

Everybody is conscious of the pinch of a global crisis. What could be the cause? I had some cue from a talk by a Focolare group who mentioned that the Bible is the best business book. People are in such hardship simply because of inverted values that have crept into society. When money is made the god, then people become enslaved the more.

The Bible talks of real freedom which we obtain when we put God and His righteousness or ways in the first place. “Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all other things will be given you as well. Do not worry about tomorrow: tomorrow will take care of itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own” (Mt. 6:33). So let’s put things aright as God wants. Search for what is for man’s real benefit in body and soul, what truly serves the good of man and not as the common aspiration goes, “How can I make more money”. It’s a twisted thinking that has caused all this trouble now. Things will get better when we follow God’s laws that are based on sincerity, truth, love, and justice.

Saturday, June 13, 2009

The Good People

These are the people contributing to our state of normalcy. People with a conscience. Though, of course, conscience needs to be formed from childhood, within family circles, in school, and good companions. A conscience based on the truth, and that means, a people who believe and follow God's laws.

One thing which makes a person of conscience is his truthfulness. He seeks for the truth and acts truthfully in his relations with others. That is what Jesus asks us to do in the gospel, as quoted from the 6th chapter of Matthew, below.

"Be careful not to parade your good deeds before men to attract their notice; by doing this you will lose all reward from your Father in heaven. So when you give alms, do not have it trumpeted before you; this is what the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win men's admiration. I tell you solemnly, they have had their reward. But when you give alms, your left hand must not know what your right hand is doing; your almsgiving must be in secret, and your Father who sees all that is done in secret will reward you" (Mt. 6:1-4).

Tuesday, June 9, 2009

Diabolical Thoughts

Seemingly attractive, diabolical opinions and thoughts always present evil under the guise of good.. That is how the temptation of our first parents took place, in the garden of Ed en (cf. Gen. 3).

Examples are the environmental devastation where people want to obtain lots of money at the expense of global warming and other nature’s repercussions; the greed and hedonism in our world that craves for all the money and pleasures at the expense of killing the innocent unborn; the pornography that tempts man towards false pleasures that only distort relationships, minds, and are just a waste of time; the money corruption that enslaves man at the expense of the rights of others..

What is the bottom line here? The bottom line is: truth has to be the whole truth because a lie is only a part of truth, so therefore a little knowledge is dangerous, keep away from the wiles of the devil who is “a murderer and the father of lies” (Jn. 8:44). Seek for the whole truth in whatever venture of life you take. The way of “Jesus the truth and life” (Jn. 14:6) is the opposite to that of the devil, Jesus is humility, love, truth, forgiveness.

Monday, June 8, 2009

Lie is a Half-Truth

Goodness and truth, by the definition in philosophy, are concepts that presuppose completeness in order to be good and true. So they require in court, to say the truth, the whole truth without any mental reservations.

In all quests for religious truth or life or regarding the life of the unborn, we must keep on humbly and sincerely searching for the truth. Why? Because, a lie means a half-truth or part only of the truth, and it is going to bring chaos and tragedy to our world because "the evil one or the devil is a murderer and the father of lies" (Jn. 8:44). God on the contrary is truth and love. Jesus, the Son of God, tells us that. "I am the way, the truth and the life" (Jn. 14:6). Be sure you are sincere, humble and truly searching for the whole truth in any matter whatsoever. A lie is only a part truth. Truly has it been said as has been attested by the lives of false reformers and leaders who brought so much death, chaos, and tragedy to our world: A little knowledge is dangerous. So be humble, patient and persevering in your search for the truth of things. "Everyone who seeks always finds" (Mt. 7:8). Let's not be self-complacen. The quest for truth must be a sincere, humble and life-long search and study of the entire truth, with the aid of prayer and God's grace. Why? If we happen to follow theories, opinions, systems or institutions that convey only part of the truth or half truths, then we could be following ways that are part of the devil's deception. "The devil is a murderer and the father of lies"(cf.Jn.8:44). Looking back at the errors, confusion, and tragedies of the past we may realize the truth of Jesus' norm for discerning who are the true or the false prophets. "You will know them by their fruits"(Mt. 7:15).

Friday, June 5, 2009

Advice to Legislators

Making immoral laws is tantamount to misleading our people.

Among the sins crying to heaven for vengeance is willful murder (including abortion). Now contraceptives' use and abortion have been clearly forbidden by the Catholic Church publicly since these militate against life, clearly a right of the innocent unborn, and most contraceptives are abortifacient and fatal to life. And those who impugn the known truth are sinning against the Holy Spirit. These types of sins are unforgivable, here and even in the next (cf. Mt. 12:32).

Pope John Paul II in an address to the bishops of the US said: "Exalting the beauty of marriage, you have rightly taken a position against both the theory of contraception and contraceptive practice, as did the encyclical letter Humanae vitae. I myself, today, with the same conviction as Paul VI, ratify the teaching of that encyclical issued by my Predecessor 'in virtue of the mandate confided us by Christ'. Describing the sexual union between husband and wife as a special expression of their covenant of love, you have correctly said: 'The sexual relationship is a human and moral good only within the sphere of marriage: outside of marriage it is immoral'. As men who speak with 'words of truth and the power of God' (2 Cor. 6-7), as authentic teachers of the law of God and as compassionate pastors, you have correctly said: 'Homosexual practice (which is to be distinguished from homosexual orientation) is morally deceitful'."

The Prophet Ezekiel wrote thus: "Son, of man, I made you a watchman for the House of Israel. With the word you hear from my mouth you will warn them in my name. When I say to the wicked, 'You will surely die,' if you do not speak to warn the wicked man to give up his evil ways and so live, he shall die for his sin, and I will hold you responsible for his death. But if you have warned the wicked man and he has not given up his wickedness and evil ways, he shall die for his sin but you will save yourself. When the righteous man turns from what is good to do evil I shall put an obstacle in his path; he shall die. Since you did not warn him, he will die for his sin. His good deeds will not be remembered and I shall hold you responsible for his death. But when you have warned the righteous man to keep him from sinning and he has not sinned, he will live for sure for he was warned and you will save your life." (Ezek. 3:17-20)

We cannot keep on resisting the ways of the Lord Almighty because God is a God of justice. He metes out punishment to the unrepentant. "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" (Heb. 10:31). Open your eyes to the reality. Do we not see what is happening to the nations that violate God's laws that concern respect for life, which is the very first of all human rights. People heedless of God's voice or that of His legitimate representatives are reminded of the Scriptural passage above, which I repeat: "It is a dreadful thing to fall into the hands of the living God"(Heb.10:31).