THE LAITY’S UNIQUE ROLE IN INFLUENCING PILIPINO FAMILIES AND OTHER COMMUNITIES.

(First Saturday Catechesis by His Eminence Gaudencio B. Cardinal Rosales, D.D. on April 5, 2008 at the Jaime Cardinal Sin Auditorium, Paco Catholic School, Manila)

Two Great Gifts for the Youth.

It has been said that there are only two great things that parents can give their children; one of these is “roots” and the other, “wings”. Roots carry with it lineage, but also humble beginnings. They remind us of where we come from. Hardly can any one boast if he keeps always in mind his little beginnings. And yet because of one’s faith in God he cannot simply look down in disdain on his poor ancestry. There is dignity from where we come; humans are made in the image of God.

But more than what they say about us, we Pilipinos were equipped by culture and religion with traits not common to our neighbors. We begin with the gifts of our friendliness, hospitality, our love for God, our helpfulness (Bayanihan spirit) and willingness to share, our fondness for celebrations, respect for the elderly, basic honesty, love for country and the exceptional enjoyment of music --- these traits and many more are the roots we speak of as the fair beginnings of personhood that parents speak of when they launch on the important task of molding the character of the Pilipino youth. Beginnings are of radical importance that is why many parents speak of sharing “roots of dignity and trust” with their children. We are ennobled when we remember those humble but upright beginnings. We take justifiable pride in those values and we share them with the young. Ipamamana ang mabuti sa mga anak.

In comparison to the eagle soaring the heights to extend its vision and to further its reach, Pilipino parents are said to provide the youth with “wings of hope” enabling them to desire a destiny that makes “fullness of life” possible in one’s future. What a beautiful beginning this is for Pilipino families, communities both civic and religious, that our lay people already caress the future when they cuddle their children.

For such a beautiful and promised future for both the children and their parents, there must be a spirituality, that is, a treasured practice born of faith, carved in tradition and reverence (short of calling it a “spirit”) that guides and accompanies the shaping of the Pilipino character. Within the framework of our apostolic vision’s articulation of “a people called by God to the fullness of life while witnessing to the Kingdom by living the Paschal Mystery” we dare to say that such a spirituality can be expressed through the analogy of traveling on a cart with four wheels.

The Four Wheels needed to move the Cart We travel on.

Four wheels are needed for balance and secured motion. Thus we say that the laity needs these four wheels for the Christian spirituality. They are PRAYER, LOVE FOR GOD and FELLOWMAN, DISCIPLESHIP and DISCIPLINE. We see how these four wheels are woven into our apostolic vision, and how the vision as Trinitarian can also be approached by way of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.

Prayer

The first is Prayer. The word prayer comes from the Latin verb, procor, procari, (proco 1) which means to beg, to ask, to entreat. This implies that every time a person asks or begs from someone for anything s/he prays. Christian Catechism tells us that prayer is a conversation addressed to God. Or as St. John Damascene writes, “Prayer is the raising of one’s mind to God or the requesting of good things from God”. It is not only respect that one brings to prayer; humility is the proper sentiment of anyone who addresses almighty God. Humility is the foundation of all prayer. As St. Augustine reminds us, “man is a beggar before God”. In the story of contrast that Jesus narrated regarding two men who went up to the temple to pray, the  Pharisee boasted of his good deeds and compared himself better than the simple and lowly tax collector. The tax collector however bent low, striking his breast repentantly saying, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner”. (Luke 18: 13). Sinners pray best and effectively when they pray acknowledging their guilt, “…we are paying for what we did … but this man has done nothing wrong … Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom”. And the Lord answered, “In truth I tell you, today you will be with me in paradise”. (Luke 23: 41-43).

Where does prayer come from? Who inspires prayer?

The easiest explanation is that prayer is inspired by needs. When one is in dire necessity s/he will pray as a last resort, even if s/he is not a very reverent and prayerful person. The Pilipino adage reminds us that “ang taong nagigipit, kahit sa talim ay kumakapit”. Self-conceit or pride make shameless exit when one is in dire need.

However, they are not only human needs that dictate prayer. The need to love and praise God, when we understand Divine goodness expressed in our lives, often occasion the opening to prayer of Adoration and Love of God. Not long after these, we may offer prayers of Thanksgiving for God’s graces; the person may Ask God for help in his or her other needs. And, of course, we never forget that like the public sinner in the parable we can also express our prayers of Repentance because of our sins. The acronym for thematic prayers is ALTAR Prayers.

Ultimately we have to admit that all prayer comes from the heart of every person. There is no genuine prayer that does not come from the heart or which does not somehow describe the feelings of the human heart. The Catechism of the Catholic Church has this to remind us: “Whether prayer is expressed in words or gestures, it is the whole man who prays. But in naming the source of prayer, Scripture speaks sometimes of the soul or the spirit, but most often of the heart (more than a thousand times) as the source of prayer. According to Scripture, it is the heart that prays. If our heart is far from God, the words of prayer are in vain”. (CCC, 2562).

We are told that the human heart is the center where we make decisions, choose right or wrong, life or death. The heart is our dwelling place and the only true home where prayer can rise from. Again the Catechism tells us that “The heart is the dwelling place where I am, where I live; according to the Semitic or Biblical expression, the heart is the place ‘to which I withdraw’. The heart is our hidden center, beyond the grasp of our reason and of others; only the Spirit of God can fathom the human heart and know it fully. The heart is the place of decision, deeper than our psychic drives. It is the place of truth, where we choose life or death. It is the place of encounter, because as image of God we live in relation: it is the place of covenant”. (CCC, 2563).

Let us not forget that our apostolic vision reminds us that we are the people called by the Father in Jesus (to become a people with fullness of life). God called us from nothing to become human beings. It is God who called us first into being, and he continues to call us still “to that mysterious encounter known as prayer”. And in prayer it is God’s love that comes first and our own first step to answer is only a response to His call.

Some of the best prayers for the Catholics are: the Eucharist, the Our Father, the Hail Mary, the Rosary, the Psalms, Lectio Divina, and the Bible. Short Prayers (Ejaculations).

As the leaves and roots are for the tree, so is prayer to the person. (St. Augustine). So, pray not only when you are in need, but as often as you can.

Love for God and Love for our Neighbors.

The second wheel for the Christian is Love. The human person was created for love. Man and woman are made in the image and likenesses of a loving God who Himself is love. (Gen. 1: 23; I John 4:8). Admittedly the noblest of all emotions is love for the reason that love itself is divine in origin; I love because God loves me. It also is ennobling of the lover for loving the greatest of all beloveds, the Triune God.

The greatest commandment is love of God. God, the sum total of all being and goodness, does not admit being second to anyone. God must be loved with one’s whole heart, with all one’s soul, mind and strength. (Mark 12: 30). In God’s own measure, God is to be loved without human measure, with one’s all whatever that is equal to. Being first in love means that God is preferred before anyone or anything else. In man’s hierarchy of likes (love) God should not have a rival nor equal. “God first” should be the policy of those who aim towards true fullness of life, because the Lord Jesus assured us that if anyone should seek the Kingdom of God first, all other things will be given as well. (Matthew 6: 33). In the accounting of God those who choose Him first will risk or loose nothing. Thus, those whose faith and trust are on a loving God, their first choice, God, becomes the only choice.

Giving God the special space in one’s life will manifest itself in the time given to prayer, to one’s devotion and choice of charities, the celebration of God’s love in the Eucharist, in the generosity of sharing one’s time or even just extending little kindnesses to others. But if we love God the way God expects to be loved, the inevitable mission follows. We simply have to make others love God also. St. Therese of Lisieux, near her dying moments said, “I feel that my mission is about to begin, my mission of making others love God as I love Him, my mission of teaching my little ways to souls”. This simple contemplative saint whose world was the enclosed convent of Carmel in Lisieux reminds us that the great compassionate God can be loved and served in little ways. Crumbs of goodness, little smiles of approval, a pat on the shoulder for encouragement, a word or two of kindness --- all these can speak of love addressed to the God of mercy.

The other side of love for God is this: if God can be loved in little ways, then God can also be loved in other persons who also are image and likeness of the Divinity. This is the reason why the second great commandment after love for God is love for one’s neighbor. “The second commandment is this: you must love your neighbor as yourself”. (Mark 12: 31). It has been said that when a person comes across the poor s/he immediately has the chance to meet Christ. For the Lord Jesus Christ Himself said that “whatever you did to the least of your brethren you did to me… Come take possession of the kingdom prepared for you since the foundation of the world”. (Matthew 25: 34-40). When we meet the downtrodden, Blessed Teresa of Calcutta once said, we encounter Christ in the distressing disguise of the poor. God is certainly present (if not hidden) in the poor and among the powerless; He is actually everywhere waiting to be recognized and encountered. But faith and love must help us recognize Him. One Oriental sage said the same truth in another expression, “once you have seen the face of God, you see the same face on everyone you meet...” With this kind of spirituality the Christian needs to be extra careful and sensitive to treat every occasion of encounter with the needy as a possible gain of passage to the kingdom, or a total loss of chance to dwell in Christ’s company.

The Love of  Two in One.

How can anyone be certain that s/he loves God? Can novenas, devotions, prayers and processions, medals, songs help? They may; but they are not assurances of love for God. Are there any signs of surety? Do I really love God? The First Letter of St. John, the Fourth Chapter tells this, “Anyone who says ‘I love God’ and hates his brother is a liar, since whoever does not love the brother whom he can see, cannot love God whom he has not seen. Indeed this is the commandment we have received from Him, that whoever loves God, must also love his brother”. (I John 4: 20).

Saint Teresa of Avila has this to add when asked if we really love God. “We cannot know, even though there are good indications. But we certainly recognize whether or not we love our neighbor. You can be sure that inasmuch as you will have progressed in love of your neighbor, to that extent will you have progressed in love of God”.

It is not possible to separate love of God from love of one’s neighbor, since God planned the existence and fundamental nature of humans in such ways that everyone must reflect the goodness of God and that she or he should do one’s utmost as vice gerents of God on earth, becoming His image and likeness to one another. At the heart of our spirituality is the call by God for us to become messengers and agents of goodness to each other, destroying all competition that leads to gains or triumph except only in bringing God and His love for everyone. What a beautiful world or country ours will be, if the key to compassion and brotherly concern is held equally by each believing and loving human person. And this is precisely the heart of doctrine of love for neighbor as the true and only human side of authentic love for God. There are no other measuring rod for love for God except our love for our brothers and sisters who equally reveal the goodness of God to everyone of us. In Matthew Chapter 25, vv 31 ff. at the last judgment scenario, we will all be judged in the way we have shown love for our poor brothers and sisters who keep in themselves, simply and innocently, the true identity and presence of Jesus, the Christ.

The third wheel is Discipleship.

To become a disciple of Jesus is to keep seeking the Lord. The Christian Lay person is like the first disciples of Jesus who kept following Him and asking Him questions: “Rabbi, Master, where do you live?” (John 1: 38). “Lord, teach us to pray”. (Luke 11: 1). “Lord, show us the Father and then we shall be satisfied”. (John 14: 8). Discipleship is the time to accompany the Lord in order to listen to His word, to see and to observe His behavior, witness His miracles, to accompany His journey, enjoy His presence, learn from His ways and imbibe His spirit. Discipleship for us is a special journeying with Jesus through reading and praying over the bible, contemplating the Gospels. It is the time for preparing ourselves to learn always from the Master. This is how the Catechism of the Catholic Church reminds us, “In all his life Jesus presents himself as our model. He is ‘the perfect man’, who invites us to become his disciples and follow him. In humbling himself, he has given us an example to imitate, through his prayer he draws us to pray and by his poverty he calls us to accept freely the privation and persecutions that may come our way”. (CCC, 520). Looking at Jesus in prayer and contemplation we learn from him everything we may become as partners in evangelization or spreading the good news of the Kingdom of God’s Love for all.

If discipleship is accompanying Jesus in order to learn from Him the ways that lead to everyone’s fullness of life and through this to arrive at the Father who continues to call us, then our entire lifetime becomes discipleship with the Lord.

The Last of the Four Wheels is Discipline.

Was it Pythagoras who said, “No man is free who cannot command himself”. The subject of freedom is the conquest of self. Someone added that the absence of discipline is the enemy of progress. Permissiveness is the opposite of order. But what does discipline have to do with the spiritual life? There are great and tremendous disorders inside the human heart, desires and lusts particularly because some never learned the importance and the practice of self restraint and inner control of the human person.

The Lord Jesus told those companions of His that if they wanted to continue following Him to where He wants to lead them towards the fullness of life where there would be freedom from sin and from the many slaveries of selfishness rooted in sin, they must first deny themselves, take up their cross and then “come and follow” Him. (Matthew 16: 24).

 Self-restraint which really was the bedrock of character appeared to be the primary requisite the Lord expected of all would-be disciples and followers of His. This form of self-conquest Jesus would first impose on Himself,  when He foretold that he would be arrested in Jerusalem, put to death and would rise on the third day. But first one to disagree was the disappointed Simon Peter who remonstrated, “Heaven preserve you, Lord, this shall not happen to you”. (Matthew 16: 22). The passing-over (PASSOVER) to new life by experiencing suffering and death was something foreign to the human mind even in the time of the Savior Jesus Christ. Thus, when problems came as something painful and dreadful, human nature tended to lead people to idolatry, and they became complete unbelievers.

Jesus must first impose the Paschal Experience and Mystery on Himself, before He harvested the plenitude of its wealth from natural experience and declared it as a universal law for all created life seeking the appropriate measure of the fullness of life. The law on discipline found itself imbedded in John 12: 24, “Unless the grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies it remains alone, but if it dies, it yields a hundredfold”.

We do not make progress in the natural and spiritual life without paying the price in terms of sacrifice, discipline, self-restraint, conquest of self or the Paschal Mystery.

The Paschal Mystery episode in any level of growth or progress, spiritual or natural, cannot be accompanied with painkillers. There were no anesthetics used at the Cross to deaden or at least lighten the pain of the crucifixion or the crossing to the greater life. There are no sedatives employed by housewives and fathers when their families suffer, experience cruel needs, failures and even household tragedies. Still, all of us will have to make these important and sometimes ruthless Passovers in life before the day of a “bountiful harvest” or “new life” is upon us. And the only anesthetics we can use is love. If we have love for God and one another, we can surely make the crossing, any Passover, anytime, wherever.

The beauty of traveling on a cart safely supported by these four wheels of Prayer, Love for God and Fellow humans, Discipleship and Discipline is that we know that we are going back to the Father who called us in His Son Jesus by the Power of “an inspiring” Holy Spirit, with Mary as companion; and as we approach the God who awaits us, we will discover before receiving the Triune God’s Welcome Embrace that we ourselves are His true and faithful likeness and image all the way! All the time!

Happy journeying! God Bless!

+GBRosales
Cardinal Sin Auditorium
5 April 2008