Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Category: Reflection

  • IN GOD’S OWN TIME

    IN GOD’S OWN TIME

    As we approach the end of the Advent season and embrace the spirit of the Christmas season, let me offer this reflection. 

                Because we Christians have regularly entered into the four-year period of Advent for a very long time through the centuries, there are times when we hardly give full attention to the significance of this period.  This is especially here in the Philippines where we anticipate Christmas so early that we begin to already prepare by September, looking forward to the festivities and celebrations that come with Christmas and New Year.

                I confess that I am no exception especially since our work in the missions keep us so busy that there really is very little time to do serious reflection.  However, it was different for me this year on account of a serious and life-threatening illness requiring hospitalization. As the Advent season began I went through an agonizing ordeal in an ICU in a hospital in Manila.

                The days went very slow as there were complications in the medical procedures including undergoing two operations so I could be provided the means towards a peritoneal dialysis system. This meant  having to endure the pains, the inconveniences and boredom of being confined in a room without a window. For the next three weeks, there was no end in sight, no definite word from the doctors as to when I could be discharged.

    Thus the waiting, what seemed like an endless waiting.  Waiting for the pains to subside. Waiting for the moment when I can drink water again and be fed solid food.  Waiting for the wounds to heal. Waiting for a sign that I was on the road to recovery. Waiting for the moment when I can talk and walk again. Waiting for the doctors to finally announce that I could be released from this confinement. Even as the body pains were quite excruciating, the waiting in itself was a source of agony.

                It was in the midst of these sufferings that it dawned on me that the Christian world had just entered the Advent season and I was provided a rare opportunity to reflect on its true meaning vis-à-vis my current experience of waiting.  In my mind, I recalled the biblical narrative of God’s promise to send the Messiah to God’s chosen people. However, they waited and waited and no Messiah appeared in their midst. Generations after generations from Abraham to just before the birth of Joseph  waited.

                As per the genealogical account in Matthew (which is read during the second day of the Aguinaldo Masses), there were 14 generations from Abraham to David, another 14 generations from David to the Babylonian captivity and another 14 generations from this captivity to Joseph.

    Thus, forty-two generations of the Chosen people waited and waited until finally God fulfilled God’s promise.

                Waiting is never easy, in some countries there is such value attached to punctuality that latecomers can be penalized in various ways. In countries like ours, we may not be so insistent on punctuality but still we do get pissed off if we have we wait too long.  It is so easy to become impatient once we are forced to wait.

                Today we are confronted with global, national and local problems that we hope could be resolved soonest. Thus we ask questions like: When will this pandemic totally end so that there are no more infections and we do not have to wear masks anymore? When will the Ukraine war end? When will oil prices stop increasing which has resulted in increases in costs of living not to mention causing havoc for households in need of adequate heating in countries now in the grip of winter? When will human rights violations end in authoritarian regimes? When will we stop destroying our common home and to finally cut down on the use of fossil fuels? When will there be an end to the dislocation of indigenous peoples from their ancestral domain? And so on, and so forth.

                We have prayed so long so that these problems could be resolved and yet things seem to worsen. We have stormed the heavens seeking God’s intervention and yet at times we believe God no longer listens to our prayers. We’ve waited and waited for God’s mercy but we are almost at the point of despair and there is still no sign that the light will soon take over the darkness. And like Jesus on the cross we ask God: why have you abandoned us?

                It was while lying on my hospital bed asking God when my pain and suffering would end that a thought came to my mind. Human beings have a way of reducing God into our anthropomorphic status, that is, as if God’s existence is the same as mortal beings. God is God and God’s ways are different as ours. In terms of existential reality, God is Almighty and thus is above it all. Everything takes place in God’s own time, and not within our own timeframe.

                This I thought was the significance of Advent. That God’s promise would be fulfilled in the fullness of time, in God’s own time. And it did when Joseph and Mary needed to journey and ended up in Bethlehem. Humanity just has to wait until God’s time is up!  Meanwhile, we might have to take full advantage of the moment of waiting to be ready for the eventuality of the fulfillment of our hearts’ desire.

                That became a source of comfort for me even as the agonizing ordeal in the hospital persisted. For I knew that in God’s time, my confinement would end. And it did, a month after in time for the celebration of the Christmas season!

  • NAGMAHAL AT UMASA

    NAGMAHAL AT UMASA

    An Advent Reflection by Mabie Gonzales. Mabie is the Assistant Over-All Goal Animator of RYM-Iloilo (Redemptorist Youth Ministry) and a Youth Mission Volunteer.

    Advent is a “Season of Joyful Waiting, a Season of Hope.” This is what the song, “O Come, O Come Emmanuel” beautifully describes to us. This season prepares us for Christmas.

    Well, have you realized that while we wait for Christmas to come, there is a different aura during December?

    People tend to be more generous, more smiling, more concerned and more loving. In every place, we see decorations around, we hear joyful music, we hear glad greetings. Advent indeed, prepares us for that wonderful day on Christmas. And it is because of Advent, of this time of preparation and of joyful waiting that makes our heart flutter and be full of excitement. Advent is not only the season in which we prepare for Christmas but it is also the season of loving and hoping. Tonight,  let us allow ourselves to be embraced by these two Filipino words – NAGMAHAL AT UMASA.

    For you, what does loving and hoping mean? And how do these two go?

    According to the Oxford Languages Dictionary, Love is an intense feeling of deep affection while Hope is a feeling of expectation and desire for a certain thing to happen. Now, the word MAHAL has two meanings. The Tagalog word mahal as a noun means ‘love’ but as an adjective it means ‘expensive’ or ‘costly’ or ‘dear.’

    Mahal ang tunay na nagmamahal. It is expensive to truly love. What does this mean? Why is it expensive to love? Financially speaking, we will think that it is expensive because you’ll think of what to give during, month-saries, anniversaries, birthdays, Christmas, and other occasions. This expensiveness of love doesn’t end there. Aside from the money that we spend, we also spend our time, effort, our presence, service, energy, commitment, and any other acts of love.

    In my previous relationship, I have experienced giving and receiving gifts. I would even spend my money to buy that person something for a midnight snack, would make my time free for us to be able to see each other. I would sacrifice some time just for us to be together. As time passed by, I would still receive some gifts, but unfortunately the time and presence of that person slowly faded away. At first, I was in denial, letting myself think that that person was just busy, has his own life and I was just part of it. YES, gifts do really make me happy but when I think of it, gifts are just nothing compared to the presence and time that I seek from that person.

    I can easily buy gifts, but how can I buy that person’s time and presence? It made me think that time and presence of that person is more expensive than tangible gifts.

    We measure the value of an item usually based on how much we paid for it. Some common things that we see are cheap because we can find them anywhere. But the cheaper it is, the cheaper the quality. Yet, we tend to find things that are great in value. Thus, we determine that the more expensive is more valuable.

    Love is expensive, indeed, because it is one value that we humans have. It is expensive because each and everyone of us desires it, but only few are interested and invest with true love. Love is not just all about the gifts we receive and give, but it also requires that willingness to experience all the emotions and give all our life. And that made love expensive.

    Now, from the experience that I have, it made me also think that God’s love for us is not cheap. God’s love is expensive. How? It cost the Almighty God Himself to show us what Love is. God’s love for me is unconditional and infinite. He saved me from that relationship. He picked me up when I was really down. He showered me with love through the people around me, my friends, family, and co-youth.  The time, effort, and the life of people around me are expressions of love that God has given me. And these are all expensive.

    As we love expensively, we sometimes lose what we have, lose our life, lose ourselves. This is how the Lord expressed his love for us as well. Jesus emptied himself, to become human like us and becoming vulnerable and powerless, yet, the Lord continues to hope and still hoping that we will fully embrace him, welcome him and be with him.

    As a youth, what are the things that you hope for? Ano ang inaasahan mo? I asked some of my friends and the most common answers are first, freedom. Freedom to choose, speak, stand and think on their  own, and some would live on their own – to be independent. Second, good or high grades. Pressured or not, youth hope for high grades in order to achieve with honors or with high honors. Some hope for this because they want to make their parents proud and some would just like themselves to excel. Third, the youth hope to become physically and mentally healthy. Youth hope for this because, we want to live forever young.

    Personally, those are also my hopes but in addition, at this moment, I am hoping for healing, good relationships in the future, more wisdom and success in my Teachers’ board review. Healing from what? Healing from traumas, heartaches, and pressures. If this healing would be successful, it could lead to good and healthy relationships, not just migo-miga, jowa-jowa relationships but also relationships with our family, friends, co-youth, classmates.

    I am currently in a review to take the March 2023 License Examination for Teachers, I am hoping that I will pass the exam and by God’s grace, TOP the exam. Walang masamang mangarap, walang masamang umasa.

    Hoping is a sign of life, a part of a person. You are not truly living if you are not hoping. The virtue of hope challenges us and empowers us to be determined, resolute, intentional, purposive, and steadfast. Hope is not wishful thinking or just passive waiting. It means that whatever we hope for we have an intention, we live a life with a purpose. We live hopeful lives. A person who lives knowing that there is hope in every challenge, has been shaped by the setbacks or disappointments – yet that person chose to get back in order to be a model of hope for others.

    In this time of advent, as we wait for Christmas, we can express our hope through these three points that I have.

    Give time and attention. If you want to give hope to others, listen to them just like God who listened and waited for us to come to Him. If you think you can’t help, just listen to them. The fact that you offer and give  them your time and attention, would make them feel that there is hope in life.

    Offer Help. Do a random act of kindness. For example, you can help your parents plan on what you can help for the preparation of Christmas. You can help with the house decorations or for your meal plan. Another is that you can give help to street-dwellers by giving them food or even asking them what kind of help they need.

    Be hopeful yourself. Remember, we cannot give what we do not have. Show people that you’re negative then they too will think negative but when you show them hope, joy and even love, they too would feel the same. If you want others to become hopeful, be a person full of hope. Work hard and be a source of sunshine and hope for others.

    In this season of advent, we are invited to join in God’s patient love by reaching out to those who have wounded us in the past, by giving ourselves to those who do not reciprocate our love and by caring for those who have not cared for us. In Advent, we are called to remember that this is how God has loved us. Let us also take time to remember at this time that God is both the light at the end of a long tunnel and our faithful companion who will never desert or abandon us.

    To all the youth, I have a challenge for you. Take time to sprinkle love and hope and in order for this to happen,  I  challenge you to become bearers of Love and Hope to the world. Hangga’t tayo ay nabubuhay tayo ay patuloy na magmamahal at umaasa.

  • AM I READY TO LISTEN?

    AM I READY TO LISTEN?

    Rizza Mae O. Malalay, an RYM-Youth Minister, RYM Key Representative to FNYO, and a Missionera.

    This is a reflection by Rizza Mae after the recent online National Conference of Youth Ministers 2022 and her Mission Experiences in Tacloban and Oslob, Cebu.

    In one of our recollections with the Eastern Visayan Redemptorist Mission Team, we were asked to reflect upon “What is God trying to say to you now?” I shared within the group that I do not usually listen to God. Aside from I do not understand His ways, it was also really hard for me to identify His voice. So, thinking about it again, “Am I now, ready to listen?”

    I joined the National Conference of Youth Ministers for three consecutive Saturdays online. It was so challenging for me because at the same time I was in Oslob helping the Cebu Redemptorist Urban Mission Team in their mission engagement there, in the most possible way that I could.

    photo from CBCP-ECY Facebook Page

    We rushed there after our mission engagement in Tacloban city. I said that it was challenging because there was no mobile signal in the area. But they have Piso Wi-Fis and Wi-Fi routers though the internet would fluctuate. I was anxious during the Conference because we had activities in between. It was too hard for me to put my focus in the meeting but then I have realized that certain things happened for a reason. I can choose to not attend the NCYM for so many reasons or attend the NCYM despite all the challenges that I have encountered. However, I chose the latter. Right at that moment it occurred to me that God wanted me to learn to turn my challenges into opportunities. That this will definitely help me grow as a youth minister.

    In our calling to be a Synodal Church, in participation, in communion and in mission. I have seen that though a lot of people are with us walking in synodality, there are still more people who are left behind.  After the NCYM 2022, I have reflected that me as a youth minister, should;

    *Live and share my faith.

    The easiest way to make people believe in you is on how you live your life. In one of our synchronous workshops that I was in, the facilitator talked about that the Basic Ecclesial Community (BEC) is being considered by many especially young people as a mere activity and not as a way of life, which I totally agree. Looking back, asking myself if I am really doing something? Am I living and sharing my faith? After leaving the mission area, it warms my heart hearing that the youth continues to serve the church, not just them but the community also is continuing what we have started. If we experience God and see God in others, then we should allow others also to experience God in us.

    *Reach-out and build relationship.

    I figured out that we can reach out and not build relationship. However, we cannot build relationship without reaching out. I understand that the Youth in our church, they come and go. But, deep in me I cannot understand why they would go. Of course aside from those who have valid reasons for leaving. I had encountered young ones who left the ministry and changed their religion. I had also conservations with youth members who told me that they described their leaders as flying and they were crawling. This is a description of having youth leaders who do not know what to do and so members have to figuratively crawl in order to make the ministry alive. It saddened me to hear all of those because as youth ministers we are called to become God’s instruments of helping the young to grow according to God’s purpose, that we are all in one mission and God is alive in us. If we would only always reach out and build relationship with everyone, I do believe that it would be easier for us to bring Christ in the lives of the so many young people today.

    *Have a listening heart

    For me as a youth minister I should listen to understand and not listen to respond. It is true that the younger generation now is quite different from mine as a millennial, so I am called to listen more. I have my own biases and I easily judged the younger generation. I can sense that every time we will plan-out an activity, they become more concerned if the senior members would approved it or not or Father will be okay with it or not. They tend to be more anxious to the point that they do not want to do more because of fear of being rejected. It feels like I also somehow kill their creativity to create new things, to explore, to learn, to dream and to learn new concepts or point of view because I myself would limit them. I should be the one to encourage them to serve and to make them realize that their unique contributions are welcomed by the Christian Community.

    Indeed, I will really find it hard to listen if I am not willing to listen. And it is hard for me to identify God’s voice if I am disturbed. In life, I realized that at some point I need pauses and breaks to understand what God is trying to say to me. God definitely resides in us and we can only hear Him by listening through our hearts.

    I pray that I may not harden my heart if I hear God’s voice and may I continue finding comfort in His love as a young person and as a youth minister.

    photo from CBCP-ECY Facebook Page
  • STAYING HEALTHY AT WORK

    STAYING HEALTHY AT WORK

    As I was recuperating from allergic rhinitis, I asked myself: “What is this telling me?” I then realized that I was in the verge of breaking down, feeling burnt out and overwhelmed with work. Dealing with difficult personalities, ever increasing demands, tight deadlines left me feeling worried and drained. Hence, I needed to acknowledge that I was indeed tired, and in need to take a PAUSE and claim my rest.

    To those who are struggling at work, let me share my personal coping strategies which you can also employ to reduce stress in your workplace.

    1. Identify a trusted person whom you can vent out. Someone who is a good listener; not to “fix” your problem or concern but help you let your negative emotions off your chest.  This may be a family member, a close friend or an office mate. God will surely send someone to be your sounding board.
    2. Pause, Pray and Let go of Chaos. Prayer has been my favorite coping strategy. During times of unrest, fear, anger or sadness, prayer has been my strongest weapon. It calms me down after asking God to bless me with INNER PEACE. After all, our best self – best work emerges when we are at peace. When we perform our work out of anger, sense of urgency or fear, we will not accomplish them any sooner or better.  Furthermore, God is gracious and faithful to everyone – to all of us. I have experienced HIS/HER loving care and sustaining grace for the past 51 years of my life. With this, I am sure God will be with me for the rest of my life. All I have to do is to nourish my friendship with Jesus through prayer.
    3. Listen to your body. When you are not yourself, something is not right. Our ailments have a lot to tell us. So, stop if you are tired. Go to the toilet if you need to. Eat when you are hungry. Get a drink when you are thirsty. Plan your breaks. At times, due to my sense of urgency, I tend to ignore my physiological needs – sitting for hours just to get my task done. This is causing me some back pains and Urinary Tract Infection (UTI).  Therefore, I need to RELAX. Take one task at a time, one day at a time.
    4. Learn to FORGIVE yourself and others who are causing you some heart aches at work. This is easier said than done but it is possible. It is so difficult to deal with various personalities in the work place. I myself have been belittled and harassed in one way or another. Yet, I decided to forgive these people for my own peace and sanity. I have learned to forgive myself first and learn from my own mistakes and failures.
    5. Create a balanced life. Never neglect any aspect of it. Lest you will be overworked. Schedule some form of relaxation with your family and friends. This will help you maintain your physical and emotional well-being.
    6. Learn to say no – establish healthy boundaries. Take only what you can chew. Do not over-commit yourself.

    I hope and pray that my personal way of coping with stress will be of help to you. Stay tuned for more reflections and practical tips. Do anything to take good care of yourself for you matter.

    Miss Baby Rose is also a Volunteer Pastoral Counselor at St. Clement’s Pastoral Care and Counseling Ministry of St. Clement’s Church, Our Mother of Perpetual Help Parish, Lapaz, Iloilo City.

  • CHALLENGE TO US FILIPINO REDEMPTORISTS FOR THE 2023-2028 SEXENNIUM

    CHALLENGE TO US FILIPINO REDEMPTORISTS FOR THE 2023-2028 SEXENNIUM

     

    The XXVI General Chapter of the Redemptorists recently concluded its deliberations on October 7, 2022 after it convened on September 11 in Rome. Three statements were given during and after the Chapter which should make us Filipino Redemptorists reflect on where we are today and the challenges we face in the future which we should face squarely during our incoming Provincial Chapters.

               First was that of Pope Francis.  On the first of October, Pope Francis addressed the delegates and he offered to them these words of inspiration and exhortation:

    “Do not be afraid to tread new paths, to dialogue with the world, in the light of your rich tradition of moral theology. Do not be afraid to get your hands dirty in the service of those most in need and of the people who do not count…

    In your Constitutions there is a very fine expression, where it says that the Redemptorists are available to face any trial to bring Christ’s redemption to all.  Availability. Let us not take this word for granted! It means giving oneself entirely to the mission, with all one’s heart, dies impendere pro redemptis, unto the final consequences, with a gaze fixed on Jesus.

    The Church and consecrated life are living a unique historical moment, in which they have the possibility of renewing themselves to respond with creative fidelity to the mission of Christ. This renewal passes through a process of conversion of the heart and mind, of intense metanoia, and also through a change of structures. At times we need to break the old pots, inherited from our traditions, which have carried a great deal of water but have now fulfilled their purpose. And breaking our pots, full of affections, of cultural customs, of histories, is not an easy task; it is painful, but it is necessary if we want to drink the new water that comes from the wellspring of the Holy Spirit, the source of all renewal.”

              After reading his statement, he had an impromptu address in which he said:

    Photo from http://www.catholicnewsworld.com/

    “I was struck by a phrase your group said: ‘Leave your comfort zones and go out on the mission.’ I wonder, what are the comfort zones that a congregation has, that a province has, that a community has and that each one of us has? Ask yourselves that question, because it was said that each person accommodates the vows as he pleases. And so, you can practice poverty with a bank account, you can practice chastity with a companion, and you can practice obedience by talking and deciding what you want. These are very distorted forms. But the one that always produces a distortion in the three vows is comfort. That is where the evil comes in, in trying to be comfortable, to be at ease, to live a bourgeois life, without going out, and going out on the mission…Each one of us must analyze our own temptation to be comfortable. We all have that temptation; we all face that temptation.”

               

    From such statements, clearly Pope Francis is exhorting all of us to reflect on where we are today in terms of our mission and lifestyle and to be engaged missionaries truly immersed among  “those in need and the people who do not count.” 

                Second was the statement of Fr. Rogerio Gomez CSsR, our new Superior General who sent this to the Union of Redemptorists of Brazil on October 12. While this statement is meant for his confreres in Brazil, it might as well be addressed to all of us Redemptorists, for in the document, he highlights the complex and challenging times in which we live and asks for courage from all of us:

    “We are experiencing a phenomenon to which we must be very attentive: the erosion of democracy, the use of religion to manipulate reality and to impose fear and exclusion on the poor. This reality should make us think. We must be wise as children of light,’ says one of the excerpts from the letter.

    The spread of fake news can be related to the sin against the eighth commandment: ‘Thou shalt not bear false witness!’ It is an enormous disservice to the truth.”

    “How can we believe in the true God and defend weapons, persecute traditional religions, destroy Mother Nature, and not invest in public health, education, science and social policies for the benefit of the poorest and the country’s development? How can we believe in the motto ‘the truth that sets us free’ (Jn 8:32)? However, we live with the flood of lies that deceive people and create reality.

    How is it possible to speak out against abortion yet advocate the death of blacks, indigenous people, homosexuals, and women, the death penalty, cover up domestic violence, reaffirm machismo, promote prejudice against northerners and minorities, and cause social mistreatment? The teaching of the Church is evident in affirming ‘the inviolability and dignity of life from conception to natural death (JPII Evangelium vitae, 2)’.”

             Third is the recent letter of Fr. Gomez to all Redemptorists around the world, issued on the Feast of St. Gerard last October 16 addressed to everyone in the congregation from superiors to Council members, Secretariats to Formation Teams, professed and lay missionaries and even the formandi. In this letter he affirms the important role of the Brothers in the congregation, but is in crisis owing to lack of promotion and attention and calling on everyone to find creative ways to recruit and form Brothers to reverse the present reality of their dwindling numbers.

                All these are framed within the call for the coming sexennium, namely that we all strive to be missionaries of hope in the footsteps of the Redeemer. There are many reasons why sometimes we feel discouraged owing to the sad global realities (the impact of climate change, the repercussions of the pandemic, wars and conflicts, consumerism, secularism, individualism, etc.), the national situation (return of dictatorship, unchecked corruption, patronage politics, inflation, rising prices, etc.) and even dynamics within our own congregation.

    But we are supposed to be children of the light, filled with hope that God never abandons His people. However, that hope can only be nurtured if – through following in Jesus’ footsteps – we are truly able to witness to plentiful redemption which is reflected in our faithfulness to the mission of serving the most abandoned, and sharing a community life lived not in affluent comfort but following the model of Jesus and his disciples.

                 We pray that the Provincial Chapters that will be unfolding in our two units would lead us to the path earlier taken by St. Alphonsus, St. Clement, St. Gerard and all our confreres who through the years since we were founded followed in the Redeemer’s footsteps!