The “Gift” of Being Persecuted

June 15, 2021 Tuesday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Readings for Today

Video Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy. But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, that you may be children of your heavenly Father, for he makes his sun rise on the bad and the good, and causes rain to fall on the just and the unjust.” Matthew 5:43–45 Jesus continues to deepen and clarify His call to His new command to love of others. The love to which He calls us is radical, total, and can be very challenging at first. He calls us to move far beyond the Old Testament understanding of justice by commanding that we love everyone, including those who persecute us. This call to love is not an option but a command. It’s a requirement for every Christian. In implementing this command, Jesus gives us not only the command itself but also offers some very practical advice on how we can achieve this depth of love. He says that we should not only love our enemies but that we should pray for them when they persecute us. First of all, an “enemy” is one who tries to inflict some form of harm on us and, generally speaking, sins against us. The common response to these experiences is to defend ourselves and fight back. So the first step is to reject any such temptation. As Jesus said in the Gospel passage prior to this one, “offer no resistance to one who is evil.” Today’s Gospel passage takes us even further. The practical advice our Lord gives is to “pray for those who persecute you.” This command not only requires that you reject the temptation to “get back” at a person or even to simply “resist” what they do to us. You must now pray for them. Praying for someone who sins against you is an act of the greatest charity and generosity. And it’s a very practical way to imitate the abundant mercy of God. For that reason, praying for your persecutors radically transforms you interiorly and makes you holy. In a sense, the evil another does to you has the potential to be transformed into a gift given to you, because it gives you an opportunity to return prayer for an injury inflicted. And that is a very real and practical gift we must embrace by this new command of our Lord. Reflect, today, upon those for whom this new commandment calls you to pray. Whose sin has inflicted some hurt or injury upon you or your family? Who do you hold a grudge toward? Whoever comes to mind, commit yourself to deep and sustained prayer for that person. Pray often for them and continue that prayer for as long as the persecution continues. Doing so will transform any and every attempted malice issued toward you into grace for them and holiness for you. My Lord of abundant mercy, Your command to pray for those who persecute us was first lived by You to perfection. You prayed for those who crucified You as You hung upon the Cross. Give me the grace I need to not only forgive but to also pray for those who have and continue to try to inflict harm upon me. Give me a heart so filled with mercy that every sin committed against me is transformed into love and my own holiness of life. Jesus, I trust in You.

A New Depth of Mercy

June 14, 2021 Monday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time Readings for Today

Video Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.” Matthew 5:41–42 As the faith of Israel developed over the centuries, prior to the coming of Christ, there were various stages of advancement in morality. Prior to the establishment of moral laws in the Old Testament, it was common for families to inflict severe vengeance upon other families when harm was done to them. This caused ongoing violence and feuds. But advancements were made when the law of retaliation was established which said, “When a man causes a disfigurement in his neighbor, as he has done it shall be done to him, fracture for fracture, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; as he has disfigured a man, he shall be disfigured” (Leviticus 24:19–20). This was a new form of justice that forbade the vengeance from being more severe than the crime that was retaliated against. At the time, this helped end ongoing family feuds that continually escalated. It is this law of retaliation that Jesus addresses in our Gospel today. The new and much higher form of morality that Jesus taught called His disciples to “offer no resistance to one who is evil” and to turn the other cheek when evil was done to them. Though strict justice requires satisfaction for sin, Jesus’ new teaching was that mercy pays every debt. First, His mercy bestowed upon us, for the forgiveness of our sins, pays the debt of our sins when we truly repent and change. But if we desire our debts to God for our sins to be forgiven and repaid, then we must do the same to others, holding nothing against them. But Jesus goes even further. In the passage quoted above, Jesus exhorts His disciples to a new and radical form of charity and generosity. This new moral code was how the children of the Kingdom of God were now called to act. It was not enough to only forgive and to forget the debt one owes you because of their sin. Mercy now requires us to “Give to the one who asks” and to walk “two miles” with one who only asks you to walk one mile with them. In other words, Christian charity far exceeds every concept of strict justice and even goes beyond basic forgiveness. This was certainly a new and radical teaching from our Lord. Think about this new moral law in your own life. What level of “justice” do you most commonly live by? When someone wrongs you, do you live like those prior to the Old Testament laws by seeking to get back at them to an even greater degree than the harm done to you? Do you live by the law that seeks the equal justice of an eye for an eye? Do you seek to forgive and offer mercy as a payment for the debt another has incurred by the sin they have committed against you? Or, ideally, do you strive to go even beyond the act of forgiveness and bestow mercy in a new and generous, superabundant way? This last level of love is difficult to obtain and live, but it is the way our Lord treats us and it is the way that He calls us to treat others. Reflect, today, upon any hurt you may currently be struggling with. And consider the way in which you have been dealing with that hurt. As you seek to understand this new law of love and mercy given by our Lord, pray to Him that He will give you the grace you need to give to others the same level of mercy that God gives to you. My generous Lord, You offer Your mercy in superabundance. You not only forgive when we repent, You also restore us to far greater heights of holiness than we could ever deserve. Give me the grace I need, dear Lord, to offer this same level of mercy and love to those who have sinned against me. I forgive all who have hurt me. Please help me to also love them with all my heart. Jesus, I trust in You.

Defending Digong's Silence ~ D.D.S.

 Caloy Bueno:

#PagMayTime ~ DDS . . .

Defending Digong's Silence ~ D.D.S.

Why is Digong silent? Because that is how he works. In silence. He lets the law speak volumes in his behalf. Lawyers who talk loud and vociferously know very well the axiom ~ "When the evidence favors you, pound on the principle. If against you, pound on the table!" The other axiom is that supposedly coming from the Chinoys ~ "Konti salita, konti mali. Marami salita, marami mali. Wala salita ~ wala mali!"

On the other hand, the opposition always talk and talk ~ mostly nonsense ~ but hey, that's the only way they can get attention! And perhaps be able to fool the gullible and unlearned. Even the educated listen to them ~ simply because it is politically correct to give the honorable disente their due, even affording them respect and obeisance, if only because they are on the side of freedom and democracy. Never mind their stupidity, which in their case is over-rated, anyhow. (Not the stupid part, stupid!)

There was another president once, more recently, who was also usually silent. Not because he could talk volumes if he wanted to, but only chose to hold back. He couldn't talk at all ~ without it (whatever the message was) being spoon-fed into him, and then coached on how to deliver it (to sound presidential, of course). He wasn't even a lawyer ~ so he delegated matters of State that had anything to do with laws to others who had legal titles. But he was always proud of being able to deliver hours-long State of the Nation Addresses ~ because these were televised live, and he could put on his 'cute' countenance (sabi ng mama n'ya cute daw s'ya!) to appeal to the Filipino people to listen good to his non-accomplishments ~ and just believe, to have faith on his journey through the Matuwid na Daan of his tsokarans!

He wasn't an economist, either (though that was supposedly what he studied in college ~ under the professor who also became the president he had succeeded). So he left whatever economic matters he had to decide on to his 'economic team' of technocrats ~ to haggle over with his political and gun buddies for their shares in plunder, even before such economic matters had 'ripened' to fruition. (Or maybe that should be the other way around ~ to bear fruit and get ripened for the pickings!)

But we digress ~ we're not talking about that bozo ~ who gained the presidency just because his mother died. And their party's actual standard-bearer did not have the balls or the conviction that he could win. (Neither did he even win the secondary post he ran for!) We're talking about DDS ~ about defending Digong's silence. Make no mistake, however ~ it's not about "the silence of the lambs" ~ that only happens when we have lamb chops and what-not from sheep, which we don't have much of in the first place . . .

Digong's silence means he's working on realizing the things he said he would bring to the Filipino people. Just like the ordinary Filipino soldiers ~ who struggle to do their jobs and duty, in silence, and even die in silence, if need be, just to serve their country ~ Digong chooses to work just like the soldiers do, silently, but effectively. It's funny ~ but the opposition see and interpret it as Digong being asleep at his job! He pays them no mind ~ he thinks of them as just dreaming that he's asleep ~ therefore, they're actually the ones sleeping on their jobs of trying to be called "worthy opposition!" (They're not.)

But here's the thing ~ ordinary Filipinos have endured in silence hundreds of years of injustice, oppression, the lack of rights and freedom. One Filipino was very patriotically eloquent against all that ~ and look what that got him: a firing squad's lethal volley of bullets in the back, in Bagumbayan, and with the blessing of the Catholic priests who couldn't get him to retract his writings against the Church.

Again we digressed ~ Digong's silence: Is it justifiable? Or has the cat got his tongue? Of course not. (Or maybe the other way around ~ but that's a totally different matter!) That's the thing with Digong ~ his work always has something to do with justice. Specifically, social justice ~ because Filipinos for too long have never gotten it. It's always been about justice for the rich and well-to-do ~ they could afford it, but for the ordinary Filipino ~ nga mga anak sa pobreng otin ~ pastilan, pasyensya lang, 'ondo!

That's what Digong has been working on ever since he stepped into Malacañang and began his Presidency ~ getting social justice for his long-suffering people ~ most especially the social justice of having a government that truly served them and gave them their due, for their taxes, for their support and loyalty as citizens. Digong figures that if he only talks a lot and under-delivers, he might as well just go home to Davao. Instead, he lets what he has accomplished do the talking for him. Even as the stupid opposition talk their heads off about anything and everything ~ but the truth.

And what is the truth? Digong is also silent about that . . .

Kasabot mo sa 'sikreto' man kana?!

~ 'pag may time

The Wonders of God’s Kingdom

June 13, 2021
Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
Readings for Today

Video

Jesus said to the crowds: “This is how it is with the kingdom of God; it is as if a man were to scatter seed on the land and would sleep and rise night and day and through it all the seed would sprout and grow, he knows not how.”  Mark 4:26–27

What a beautiful image of the sprouting, growing and coming to fruition of the Kingdom of God in our midst!

God wills that His Kingdom come.  We pray this in the Lord’s Prayer.  What does it mean when we pray for His Kingdom to come?  First, it means that God wants to come and dwell within us, establishing His Kingdom within our hearts and souls.  We must become living members of His Kingdom, and He must be our Ruler and Guide.

Second, we understand this to be the establishment of His laws and will in our world.  This means that the social, political and cultural order must be transformed by God’s grace so as to participate in and bear the fruit of His Kingdom.  We have work to do!

Third, it means that we anticipate the final and glorious coming of His Kingdom when Jesus returns in splendor and glory.  In the end, all things will be transformed, and God will bring forth His final judgment upon the world, making all things new.

But this passage above especially reveals to us “how” this will happen.  It reveals that God’s Kingdom will slowly, gently and miraculously take hold.  This will happen in our lives, it will happen in our world as we Christians commit ourselves to this work, and it will miraculously happen at the end of time when Jesus returns.

Think about this image Jesus gives us.  The farmer plants the seed and slowly it sprouts, grows and produces fruit.  As this happens, the farmer “knows not how.”

Reflect, today, upon the mysterious ways that God establishes His Kingdom.  He is in charge of it first and foremost.  But you must do your part.  You must make your heart and world around you fertile ground.  You must plant the seed, water it as needed but then let God do His part.  God wants to bring forth His Kingdom in your life and in the world far more than any of us.  But if you do your part, you also will be amazed as you watch grow His glorious handiwork of grace.

Lord, help my heart to be fertile soil for Your Kingdom.  Help me to allow You to grow Your Kingdom in my heart and help me to be an instrument of that Kingdom in our world.  Jesus, I trust in You.

Protecting the Planet

Shay Cullen

11 June 2021

 

Have you ever seen the sun set upon the sea,

the migrating birds fly in formation proud?

Have you ever seen the mighty forest and heard the birds sing clear and loud?

Have you seen the flowers in the meadows and the fields that provide the nectar for the bee, That gives the honey in the hive hanging from the tree?

Have you ever seen the dolphins race across the ocean wave,

The mighty whales that swim the oceans strong and brave?

A breathless sight of beauty you will ever see

If we will just allow them to live and to be.

 

We inhabit a most amazing planet filled with life forms and hundreds of thousands of amazing creatures, animals, birds, insects, and fish. In the natural world, the living forests and plants and oceans make up a living, evolving integrated planet with us humans. We the creatures that have a developed brain, conscientious, knowing and with awareness of self and all that is around us in the environment. have the responsibility to preserve it.

 

We are the ones that can admire, appreciate, and wonder at the beauty of the environment and the universe. We are the thinking consciousness of the universe. We can know good and bad and we have unique free will to choose one or the other. That is what makes us human and different from other creatures we share life with on this climate-sensitive planet.

 

We humans are changing it dramatically by the lifestyles that we have chosen and the industrial machines and methods we have created to maintain that lifestyle. Our way of living together, travelling, warming and cooling ourselves, producing our food and disposing off the material we manufacture is affecting the environment and the planet itself.

 

We humans are industrious, inventive, creative, intelligent, kindly, loving creatures to each other and the ecology and environment but many of us are also something else. Many of our species have chosen to act on their lower, thoughtless basic instincts to possess, control, dominate and subjugate others to achieve and satisfy desires and appetites. They impact the human environment. They act with violence and other negative impulses born perhaps from childhood neglect, abuse, deprivation or the evil example of other influencers. They act in anger with violence against the human environment, the human community, inflicting hurt and pain on others.

 

Some become intoxicated with power and destructive tendencies over their communities. They persecute and kill those that refuse to be subjugated, dominated and abused. These are the tyrants and dictators, and not only do they kill and maim and destroy those who do not approve of them, they attack the environment. Their self-serving policies expand industrial exploitation of the environment and exploit the natural resources. Their goal is to increase their personal wealth and political power and so all creatures, the environment and the planet greatly suffer. They are the humans that allow big and small corporations to destroy the forests and the oceans and create a destructive industrial juggernaut that leaves disorganized citizens divided and powerless.

 

We must not be silenced or intimidated. We must stand for the earth, act to stop the destruction on a political scale, on a community level and in our personal capacity. When people unite and speak with one voice, they have power to change the world and corrupt politicians unless they are shot and massacred. The environmental destruction by industry that is causing climate change by high levels of CO2 emissions has to be challenged .They cause climate fluctuations that damage sustainable food production and the natural world. Politicians in conspiracy with the industrial leaders, driven by greed, these mighty money moguls, are foremost in destroying the planet.

 

Australia is an example of government policy supporting the coal extraction industry. It is the biggest exporter of coal in the world. The emissions of the coal they export is equal to 3.3 percent of global emissions. Added to domestically-produced emissions of CO2, then Australia contributes 4.8 percent of world emissions and is a major contributor to dangerous climate change. If we add the emissions for natural gas exports, it is even a bigger footprint and a bigger responsibility. The super cold snap in Australia of late is a direct result of climate change, it seems.

 

The Australian political industrial complex has to be held accountable and drastically change direction to protect the environment. That is a decision that only the Australian people can make by voting into power a green, environmental-friendly government. Australia is now the sixth biggest polluter of the environment after China, the United States, Russia, India and Indonesia. Australia and all the high CO2 emissions producing countries should choose to obey the principle, “Do no Harm.” However, since basic instincts of greed, money and power are dominating the ruling elites and political establishments of these countries, there is no place for principles of caring and compassion for the people and the planet.

 

There is good news however. The global awareness of the damage and negative effects of climate change has business and industry concerned and committed to change. A survey by Deloitte in recent months shows that 80 percent of business and corporate executives have expressed serious concern about the impact of climate change and are planning to take mitigating action to address it. But will they?

 

The Climate Check Report surveyed 750 executives last January and February 2021 and found that 30 percent of them said that climate change is affecting their businesses causing a scarcity of resources and supply chain problems. Self-interest may bring concern for the environment. Political awareness building and peaceful social activism is having a positive effect. School children in Australia have taken to the streets to protest against coal production. Greta Thunberg is leading a global movement to stop industry burning fossil fuels and to build renewable energy sources. Now 18 years old, she blasts the empty promises of world leaders who promise much but do nothing positive but allow the destruction of the Amazon rain forests.

 

If we want to continue to admire the forests, the dolphins, the birds and creatures of the planet, we have to preserve and protect it with all our strength. 

 

www.preda.org 

The Heart of Perfect Love

Saturday, June 12, 2021

Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary Saturday following the second Sunday after Pentecost

Readings for Today

Video

He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother kept all these things in her heart. Luke 2:51

Over and over, the Scriptures reveal to us that the Blessed Virgin Mary “kept all these things in her heart.” What things? She continually pondered the great mystery of the life of her Son as His sacred life unfolded before her eyes.

A mother’s love is strong. Many times, a mother is more aware of the details of her child’s life than even the child itself. She is attentive, consoling, present, tender and loving. This was who Mary was to her divine Son, Jesus.

Mother Mary did not have full knowledge of every divine reality. She did not gaze upon the Most Holy Trinity with her eyes as she walked the earth. She did not have the full knowledge of the plan of the Father. But she did walk through life with the perfection of faith. She also knew the many truths of Heaven and earth through her Immaculate Heart. Her heart was a heart filled with every virtue. She loved with a love that was indescribable. And what she especially pondered in her Immaculate Heart, over and over throughout life, was the pure and perfect love she had for her Son. To her, this love left her in amazement. She was continually in a state of holy awe as she interacted with her Son, gazed upon His sacred life, and watched Him advance in “wisdom and age and favor before God and man” (John 2:52). The love in her heart was a lesson to herself. She continually deepened her knowledge of God through the pondering of the perfect love placed in her heart by her God. And this God, her Savior, was her Son.

We celebrate today the Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Though there are many feasts throughout the year in which we honor this holy daughter of God, this celebration is an opportunity for us all to ponder her pondering heart.

A human heart is not just physical, it is also spiritual. It is the spiritual source of our love of God and others. From our heart flows either virtue or vice, love or hate, generosity or selfishness. As we honor the Immaculate Heart today, we are called to look at the ideal of what should live within our own hearts and what should flow forth from them. The perfection of all virtue is what must ideally flow from every human heart throughout time. And it is the heart of our Blessed Mother that will teach us how to internalize those virtues so as to become an instrument of the love of God to others.

Reflect, today, upon the spiritual perfection of the Immaculate Heart of Mary. Perfection is difficult to comprehend in our fallen state. But the more we look to the ideal, the more we will desire that ideal. And the more we desire that ideal, the more we will obtain it. Allow yourself today to ponder the ideal heart as it resided in the Mother of God and ask for her to intercede for you so that you will more fully imitate her.

Most Immaculate Heart of Mother Mary, you reveal to us the perfect way to love your Son and to be devoted to Him. Fill me with the love you had for your Son by interceding for me. Thank you for the witness you gave to us all and help us to imitate the countless virtues that flowed from your heart. Immaculate Heart of Mary, pray for us. Jesus, I trust in You.

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The Font of Mercy

Friday, June 11, 2021

Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Friday following the second Sunday after Pentecost

Readings for Today

Video

But when they came to Jesus and saw that he was already dead, they did not break his legs, but one soldier thrust his lance into his side, and immediately blood and water flowed out. John 19:33–34

John’s Gospel is filled with deep spiritual imagery and symbolism. It is clear that this imagery and symbolism was divinely inspired so as to give us spiritual food for reflection and meditation. One such image is given to us today as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus.

As Jesus and the two criminals on either side of Him hung upon their crosses, the soldiers came to hasten their deaths by breaking their legs to cause them to more quickly suffocate. But when they came to Jesus, He had already died. So one of the soldiers, traditionally known as Longinus, thrust his spear into Jesus’ side, and blood and water flowed forth. Some traditions identify Longinus with the centurion who cried out after Jesus’ death, “Truly, this was the Son of God!” (See Matthew 27:54.) Other traditions state that he converted at that moment, making him the first convert to Christianity. And still other traditions state that Longinus could not see well, and the blood and water from Jesus’ side poured upon his eyes, healing him. Regardless of whether these traditions are true, we know that Jesus’ side was pierced and blood and water flowed forth.

The symbolism of this act was more than a mere human symbol. It was an instrument of the profound spiritual reality that was taking place at that moment. As Jesus’ Sacred Heart was pierced, the blood and water that poured forth was the new sacramental life of the Church. The Blood was the Most Holy Eucharist and the Water was the gift of Baptism. And when Jesus had previously “breathed His last” and “handed over His Spirit,” the Sacrament of Confirmation was bestowed.

When we celebrate those Sacraments today, it is easy to see them as mere symbols of what we partake in. But in our Christian Tradition, the Sacraments are so much more. The symbol is also the reality. It is the instrument of what it symbolizes. Therefore, every time we witness a Baptism or partake in the Holy Eucharist, we are mystically present with Longinus, receiving the grace and mercy of our redemption, pouring forth from Jesus’ wounded side, so as to heal us and make us whole.

The human heart is, physically speaking, a bodily organ responsible for pumping blood throughout. But from a spiritual perspective, given that we are both body and soul, the human heart is also the source of our life. Without it, we physically and spiritually die. So it is with the Sacred Heart of Jesus. It was not only a physical heart that was physically pierced by the lance long ago. It is now also the source of our ongoing spiritual life, and, without Jesus’ Sacred Heart of Mercy, we will die in our sins.

Reflect, today, upon the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. See His Heart as the ongoing source of your new life in grace. Understand that His Heart is more than a symbol of His grace and mercy, it is the spiritual source and the font of that mercy. Prayerfully place yourself before His Cross, this day, and allow the blood and water, flowing from His wounded side, to cover you so that you, too, may believe.

Most Sacred Heart of Jesus, You poured out upon the world the love and mercy of Your transforming grace through the instrument of the blood and water pouring forth from Your wounded side. Help me to gaze upon this font of mercy and to be covered with it through the gift of the Sacraments. May I always be open to all that You wish to bestow upon me by these precious and transforming instruments of Your love. Sacred Heart of Jesus, have mercy on us. Jesus, I trust in You.

How do you feel about living in Brussels?

Travia Stewart

Lives in Brussels, Belgium 

Let's just say that it takes A LOT of getting used to, especially if you're new to Europe. Things to take note of:

The good:

Myriad options for food and bars around the city and its pretty decent quality

Excellent chocolate and French fries and beer - if that's what floats your boat

Museums, lovely architecture, several parks and green areas, pedestrian zone (though this one in the centre is hideous)

Various cultural (oftentimes free!) activities in which you can participate, either solo or with your family throughout the year

Decent public transportation

A large, diverse/multicultural international community

A very vibrant summer - lots of outdoor gatherings in the parks or on terraces, street and other music festivals

Close proximity and ease of movement to other major cities/countries in Europe - Amsterdam, London, Paris, Rome, Germany, Spain - offering you a plethora of choices when you need an escape from:

The not-so-fantastic:

The weather - you need to always have a coat, an umbrella, your sunglasses and maybe a scarf within reach. It's not only the rain, but sometimes everything is just gray; and it can last days or weeks at a time (makes you appreciate the sunny days even more!)

Customer service - it doesn't exist here. Don't expect it, don't demand it, don't be offended if you don't receive it. IT'S JUST NOT HAPPENING! Just choose to spend your money in establishments where the proprietors and staff value your business - these are few and far between, which again, makes you ever more appreciative when you find this precious commodity.

Bureaucracy - anything having to do with the government or administration is sheer hell. Accept it, prepare yourself to deal with it, it doesn't get easier. Not speaking the language makes it doubly difficult. Choose your commune (district where you live) carefully.

Traffic and traffic interruptions - one of the worse I've seen and Brussels is famous for having one of the worse traffic jams in Europe

Almost everything closes during lunch time (banks, pharmacies, post office). Supermarkets close at 8 pm and most other shops close at 6 - plan, plan, plan!

It's a challenge to make friends with locals - especially if you're from a “warm” culture. People tend to be aloof and cold and it's difficult to be accepted into social groups.

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I'll stop here for the simple reason that I've learned the art of acceptance and adaptation by living here. It's fruitless to complain; just know how things work and work around them. It's best for my sanity!