One day God went to check Heaven’s pearly gates. He heard them squeaking badly and wanted to see if St. Peter had already oiled them. When He reached the gates He was not only surprised to see Peter –as usual– sleeping on the job, but also the gates left ajar. Every now and then they gave out a gentle harmonious squeak when a stray celestial breeze blew by.
“Peter, wake up!” God said trying to control Himself. “Didn’t I ask you to watch over the gates and oil them?”
“Uh? [HO-HUM] Ah…ehhr…,” St. Peter tried his best to hide a wide yawn escaping from his mouth. “Yeshh…, I mean, yes, Lord. I’m sorry. I know you’ll be saying something about the ‘flesh and the spirit’ or sumthin’ like that.”
“Never mind, Peter! But why haven’t you oiled them yet?
”
“[YAAHWN!] I’m sorry, Lord! I was up all night.”
“All night? Doing what?”
“Surfin’ the net…,” he rubbed both eyes trying to focus on the conversation.
“The net? But didn’t I tell you that it only wastes a lot of your heavenly time?”
“I know, Lord. But you should really check out this craze of social networks down there!” Peter said excitedly.
“You mean social not-working?”
“Oh, come on, Lord, just give it a try,” Peter insisted.
“Okay, okay, okay,” God said and took a seat. “Now what am I supposed to do?”
“It’s so easy, all you have to do is click on the links, Lord,” Peter felt proud to be teaching God a thing or two.
God took the mouse and started surfing. “Let’s see, I’m interested in checking out this priest who’s been writing silly articles,” God’s face lighted up with interest. “What did you say his name was again, Peter?”
“Oh, you mean Father so-and-so?” Peter scratched his head.
“Yeah, that one!” God’s concentrated intensely on the page as it started to load.
“Yup, that’s him alright,” Peter said rather blandly.
“You don’t look so excited,” the Lord noticed Peter’s expression.
“Oh, no, no…, except that… Oh, it’s nothing, go ahead, check him right out!”
God clicked on the profile. The browser took a while processing the request, and then suddenly the screen goes blank and the following error popped out: ERROR 404: Unresolved link. Please contact your internet provider.
“Now what’s that supposed to mean,” God was puzzled.
“Oh, nothing really, it’s just that most of the links in his page are broken,” Peter said.
“I thought you said you were working on him the other day,” God frowned at Peter.
“Yes, Lord, but you just have to give me…,”
“Wait, let’s see check out this link that says prayer life…,” God surfed back to the page and clicked on the link. The screen went blank and there was a longer delay this time. “This is taking an eternity,” God remarked. Then the same error popped out.
“He must have something at least,” the Lord said a little concerned.
“Why don’t you try that one that says Related links,” Peter suggested.
“What’s that supposed to be?” the Lord said.
“I don’t know,” Peter shrugged his shoulders.
The Lord clicked on the link and the screen goes blank and the message appears: PROHIBITED PAGE - MAY BE HARMFUL TO YOUR COMPUTER; TROJAN APPLICATIONS; MATURE CONTENT; ILLEGAL SOFTWARE, etc.
“I’m done with this priest, why don’t you erase his account!” the Lord said.
“Lord, be patient. Give me some time and I’ll figure a way to get his links connected,” Peter begged.
* * *
May the Lord who clicks on the links of our life not find them broken or unfortunately revealing that our hearts and minds are far from Him. The page of our life is the only one we will have. It is something our Lord always reads and it is up to each one to enrich and update that daily page so that we may be able to offer God a new love each time.
God clicks on some aspects of our life not because He’s out to investigate what’s wrong with us. Rather, He does this in order to see how He can help open us to new and fruitful horizons in our piety, sacrifice, good deeds, and above all, how you and I can abide more with His will.
Let us foster a firm resolve to review and improve our spiritual hyperlinks so that they truly link us back to God’s heart. These links are: our prayer, sacrifice, the sacraments, virtues and our sincere love for the souls around us whom we can link back to God’s love.
*Note to reader: HTTP Error 404 is an error message which means that the web page you are looking for cannot be found. The 404 error is also known as "File not found", "Not Found" and "Gone".
Saturday, July 11, 2009
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
‘The Sign of Crossing’
JIGSY listened attentively to sister Philomena. Sister was preparing them for their first communion and teaching them what to do upon entering the chapel.
“Now, listen children,” sister waved her hands in the air to get their attention. “What is the first thing you do before entering the chapel?”
“Dip you finger in the Holy Water font and make the Sign of the Cross!” the children answered in chorus.
“Good!” sister Philomena was pleased to see that they remembered what she taught. “Now, remember, don’t make the Sign of the Cross hurriedly, okay?”
“Yes, sister Philomena,” they all replied.
“Sister?” Edmund raised his hand.
“Yes, Edmund?”
“What about Jigsy?”
“What about him, Edmund?”
“Who’s going to cross him?”
“Would you like to do the honors of crossing him?” sister Philomena smiled at Edmund.
“Of course!” was Edmund’s delighted reply. He turned around and winked at Jigsy who was his best friend.
“Any more questions, class?” sister asked.
“Yes,” Kathy asked with a concerned face. “I’m wondering how Jigsy does the Sign of the Cross when no one crosses it for him?”
“Jigsy?” sister looked at the boy who was born without both arms. “Why don’t you tell what Father Elliot taught you the other day?”
“Yes, sister Philomena,” Jigsy said as he stood up. All eyes were turned towards him.
He walked confidently in front of the class. Once in front, he calmly faced his classmates. Then, he took a long deep breath and began explaining.
“Father, Elliot taught me to make the Sign of the Cross this way: ‘God the Father is in Heaven, and so when I say IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, I raise my head and look up to Heaven. Then when I say AND OF THE SON, I look at the ground, because Jesus was born on earth, and OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, I then take a deep breath because the Spirit is like the air that gives us life.”
The entire class became quiet for a few seconds, and Edmund stood up and started applauding his friend. Then everyone, including sister Philomena applauded Jigsy’s unique Sign of the Cross.
* * *
How many lessons we can learn from Jigsy’s childlike faith? The sign of the Cross is not simply a gesture to mark ourselves with hastily as we begin our meals, take an exam or enter the playing field. It is much more than this. It is a sign that reminds us of what we ought to be as our Lord taught: “If anyone wishes to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, daily.” Through it, we brand every fiber of our existence with the presence of Christ: with His life, passion, death and resurrection.
Benedict XVI says that the “most basic Christian gesture in prayer is and always will be the sign of the Cross. (…) The sign of the Cross is a confession of faith: I believe in him who suffered for me and rose again; in him who has transformed the sign of shame into a sign of hope and of the love of God that is present with us. (…) By signing ourselves with the Cross, we place ourselves under the protection of the Cross, hold it in front of us like a shield that will guard us in all the distress of daily life and give us the courage to go on. We accept it as a signpost that we follow: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mk 8:34). The Cross shows us the road of life—the imitation of Christ.” (In The Spirit of the Liturgy, April 2006, Ignatius Press)
In our present world heavily dependent on signs and symbols, it is unfortunate that we Christians sometimes lose sight of the significance of this simple yet marvelous sign of our belonging to God. May we treasure it, and realize that this gesture is already both a prayer said and a sacrifice offered to God, and our readiness –as God’s soldiers– to love and serve our neighbor.
“Now, listen children,” sister waved her hands in the air to get their attention. “What is the first thing you do before entering the chapel?”
“Dip you finger in the Holy Water font and make the Sign of the Cross!” the children answered in chorus.
“Good!” sister Philomena was pleased to see that they remembered what she taught. “Now, remember, don’t make the Sign of the Cross hurriedly, okay?”
“Yes, sister Philomena,” they all replied.
“Sister?” Edmund raised his hand.
“Yes, Edmund?”
“What about Jigsy?”
“What about him, Edmund?”
“Who’s going to cross him?”
“Would you like to do the honors of crossing him?” sister Philomena smiled at Edmund.
“Of course!” was Edmund’s delighted reply. He turned around and winked at Jigsy who was his best friend.
“Any more questions, class?” sister asked.
“Yes,” Kathy asked with a concerned face. “I’m wondering how Jigsy does the Sign of the Cross when no one crosses it for him?”
“Jigsy?” sister looked at the boy who was born without both arms. “Why don’t you tell what Father Elliot taught you the other day?”
“Yes, sister Philomena,” Jigsy said as he stood up. All eyes were turned towards him.
He walked confidently in front of the class. Once in front, he calmly faced his classmates. Then, he took a long deep breath and began explaining.
“Father, Elliot taught me to make the Sign of the Cross this way: ‘God the Father is in Heaven, and so when I say IN THE NAME OF THE FATHER, I raise my head and look up to Heaven. Then when I say AND OF THE SON, I look at the ground, because Jesus was born on earth, and OF THE HOLY SPIRIT, I then take a deep breath because the Spirit is like the air that gives us life.”
The entire class became quiet for a few seconds, and Edmund stood up and started applauding his friend. Then everyone, including sister Philomena applauded Jigsy’s unique Sign of the Cross.
* * *
How many lessons we can learn from Jigsy’s childlike faith? The sign of the Cross is not simply a gesture to mark ourselves with hastily as we begin our meals, take an exam or enter the playing field. It is much more than this. It is a sign that reminds us of what we ought to be as our Lord taught: “If anyone wishes to follow me, let him deny himself and take up his cross, daily.” Through it, we brand every fiber of our existence with the presence of Christ: with His life, passion, death and resurrection.
Benedict XVI says that the “most basic Christian gesture in prayer is and always will be the sign of the Cross. (…) The sign of the Cross is a confession of faith: I believe in him who suffered for me and rose again; in him who has transformed the sign of shame into a sign of hope and of the love of God that is present with us. (…) By signing ourselves with the Cross, we place ourselves under the protection of the Cross, hold it in front of us like a shield that will guard us in all the distress of daily life and give us the courage to go on. We accept it as a signpost that we follow: "If any man would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me" (Mk 8:34). The Cross shows us the road of life—the imitation of Christ.” (In The Spirit of the Liturgy, April 2006, Ignatius Press)
In our present world heavily dependent on signs and symbols, it is unfortunate that we Christians sometimes lose sight of the significance of this simple yet marvelous sign of our belonging to God. May we treasure it, and realize that this gesture is already both a prayer said and a sacrifice offered to God, and our readiness –as God’s soldiers– to love and serve our neighbor.
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Flunking to love God
“CONGRATULATIONS, James!” I shook the hand of the brilliant new high school graduate.
“You’re welcome, Father,” he said. He took out a handful of shiny gold medals from his pocket and asked, “Oh, Father. I was wondering if you can bless my medals.”
“Sure!” I was also happy that besides being their school’s valedictorian he also received numerous leadership awards. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…,” I blessed his medals.
“Thanks, Father,” he smiled while pocketing the medals.
“Strange,” I said, “shouldn’t you be wearing them instead of hiding them in your pocket?”
“You’re right, Father,” the medals jingled as he slowly pulled them out again. “But you see, Father, I didn’t get our school’s highest award.”
“What would it be then?” I asked.
“It’s called the Most Distinguished Student Award,” he said while staring blankly at the medals.
“So how’s that supposed to be more special than being valedictorian?” I said shrugging my shoulders.
“It’s supposed to be for the student who has never flunked any subject during his entire high school. So even if you average highest, but had some failing marks then you can no longer deserve such a much coveted award.”
I was trying to figure out in my mind what subject it could have been that James could have failed. The boy was a born winner, except that –it dawned upon me– he wasn’t much into sports. So I asked, “Was it P.E.?”
“That was back in first year when there was no other sport ‘cept basketball,” he gave me a smile expressing that it was something obvious.
“That’s alright dude. Guess you’re dad would have said that…,”
“You can’t have everything,” he completed exactly what I was about to say.
“You got me there, James,” I chuckled.
“Mom and dad understand and are very proud with what I’ve already achieved. Dad just told me to learn from my failures or limitations.”
“You know James?” I said.
“Yeah?” he noticed I was speaking in a more serious tone.
“There’s nothing wrong with flunking in the many good things of life, but we have to know how to flunk out of the bad ones.”
“I don’t get you there, Father,” he frowned at me.
“Let’s say, you expected to get a good grade for a project you really invested a lot of time for. But then in the end you get a low grade because you may have overlooked something. You shouldn’t really worry about this, especially when you’ve done the best you could.”
“Okay, so what?”
“Where you and I should learn and be ready to flunk would be in the things that separate us from God. Since we’re all ‘experts in sinning,’ we ought to aim for getting ‘Fs’ in pride, vanity, anger, greed and lust.”
“Isn’t this approach a bit negative, Father?”
“It may seem like that at first, but flunking out of these vices actually means struggling to get A’s in the virtue oppose to them. It would be wrong to over focus on what one does wrong or what one ought to avoid. It would be more positive and fruitful to consider what good one can concretize each day out of love for God and fellowmen.”
“How about the occasions when our weaknesses do come up once in a while, Father?”
“Well, even though they may seem like failures, they are actually only apparent failures. This is true if the person resolves to immediately go back to God with the humility like that of the Prodigal Son. And he manages to even learn from his mistakes and his conversion becomes more firm and sincere.”
“You mean to say, Father… that…,” he smiled as he came upon a realization.
“Yes, James! That one can really never fail in the spiritual life as long as he struggles with the sincere resolve to begin again, use the supernatural means and to find –like St. Paul– strength and joy in his own weaknesses. In this way, he no longer struggles alone, but always in and with the grace and love of God.”
“You’re welcome, Father,” he said. He took out a handful of shiny gold medals from his pocket and asked, “Oh, Father. I was wondering if you can bless my medals.”
“Sure!” I was also happy that besides being their school’s valedictorian he also received numerous leadership awards. “In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit…,” I blessed his medals.
“Thanks, Father,” he smiled while pocketing the medals.
“Strange,” I said, “shouldn’t you be wearing them instead of hiding them in your pocket?”
“You’re right, Father,” the medals jingled as he slowly pulled them out again. “But you see, Father, I didn’t get our school’s highest award.”
“What would it be then?” I asked.
“It’s called the Most Distinguished Student Award,” he said while staring blankly at the medals.
“So how’s that supposed to be more special than being valedictorian?” I said shrugging my shoulders.
“It’s supposed to be for the student who has never flunked any subject during his entire high school. So even if you average highest, but had some failing marks then you can no longer deserve such a much coveted award.”
I was trying to figure out in my mind what subject it could have been that James could have failed. The boy was a born winner, except that –it dawned upon me– he wasn’t much into sports. So I asked, “Was it P.E.?”
“That was back in first year when there was no other sport ‘cept basketball,” he gave me a smile expressing that it was something obvious.
“That’s alright dude. Guess you’re dad would have said that…,”
“You can’t have everything,” he completed exactly what I was about to say.
“You got me there, James,” I chuckled.
“Mom and dad understand and are very proud with what I’ve already achieved. Dad just told me to learn from my failures or limitations.”
“You know James?” I said.
“Yeah?” he noticed I was speaking in a more serious tone.
“There’s nothing wrong with flunking in the many good things of life, but we have to know how to flunk out of the bad ones.”
“I don’t get you there, Father,” he frowned at me.
“Let’s say, you expected to get a good grade for a project you really invested a lot of time for. But then in the end you get a low grade because you may have overlooked something. You shouldn’t really worry about this, especially when you’ve done the best you could.”
“Okay, so what?”
“Where you and I should learn and be ready to flunk would be in the things that separate us from God. Since we’re all ‘experts in sinning,’ we ought to aim for getting ‘Fs’ in pride, vanity, anger, greed and lust.”
“Isn’t this approach a bit negative, Father?”
“It may seem like that at first, but flunking out of these vices actually means struggling to get A’s in the virtue oppose to them. It would be wrong to over focus on what one does wrong or what one ought to avoid. It would be more positive and fruitful to consider what good one can concretize each day out of love for God and fellowmen.”
“How about the occasions when our weaknesses do come up once in a while, Father?”
“Well, even though they may seem like failures, they are actually only apparent failures. This is true if the person resolves to immediately go back to God with the humility like that of the Prodigal Son. And he manages to even learn from his mistakes and his conversion becomes more firm and sincere.”
“You mean to say, Father… that…,” he smiled as he came upon a realization.
“Yes, James! That one can really never fail in the spiritual life as long as he struggles with the sincere resolve to begin again, use the supernatural means and to find –like St. Paul– strength and joy in his own weaknesses. In this way, he no longer struggles alone, but always in and with the grace and love of God.”
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