When we reach our limits

Thoughts and Views

 

Fr. Roy S. Cimagala

SINCE true Christian love will always ask for more and, in fact, endless things, we should not be surprised when at a certain point we will reach our limits. We know that we are supposed not to say enough in our self-giving, but given our limited natural condition that is poised to enter into the supernatural life of God, there will always be a limit in that self-giving.

    When that moment arrives, we should just assume the very attitude of Christ who, when on the cross reached the limit of his self-giving in spite of the overwhelming effort to do a lot of good to everyone, just left everything in the hands of his Father. “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit,” he said. (Lk 23,46)

    We should just leave everything in the hands of God who will be the only one to complete and perfect everything that is meant for us. Remember St. Paul telling us: “He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.” (Phil 1,6)

    This can only mean that while we do everything we can, we should in the end learn how to live a healthy spirit of abandonment in the hands of God. With all the things that we have to contend with in this life, we certainly need to have a healthy sense of trust in God’s loving and wise providence, abandoning ourselves in his will and ways that often are mysterious to us and can appear to be contrary to what we would like to have.

    A healthy spirit of abandonment in God’s hands is necessary even as we exhaust all possible human means to achieve our goals or simply to tackle all the challenges, trials and predicaments of our life. We should never forget this truth of our faith.

    In this life, we need to acquire a good, healthy sporting spirit, because life is actually like a game. Yes, life is like a game. We set out to pursue a goal, we have to follow certain rules, we are given some means, tools and instruments, we are primed to win and we do our best, but losses can come, and yet, we just have to move on.

    Woe to us when we get stuck with our defeats and failures, developing a loser’s mentality. That would be the epic fail that puts a period and a finis in a hanging narrative, when a comma, a colon or semi-colon would have sufficed.

    We need a sporting spirit because life’s true failure can come only when we choose not to have hope. That happens when our vision and understanding of things is narrow and limited, confined only to the here and now and ignorant of the transcendent reality of the spiritual and supernatural world.

    We should never forget that God is always around. He never abandons us in spite of our stupidities. In fact, the more we stray from him, the more solicitous he would be of us. We should just learn how to convert this psalm into reality: “If today you hear his voice, harden not your hearts.” (95,8)

    We always have to go to God through Christ in the Holy Spirit. This is not an exercise of surrender and futility, but rather of conquest and victory. With God, everything always works for the good. (cfr. Rom 8,28)

    St. Paul precisely recommended this move. “Do not be anxious about anything,” he said, “but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” (Phil 6,6-7) -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

 

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New Year through Mary

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! Once again, we begin a new year and let’s hope that as another year starts, we can truly say that we are getting stronger in our resolve to pursue the real purpose of our life here on earth.
    Liturgically, January 1 celebrates the divine motherhood of Mary which tells us a lot of amazing things. From the Letter of St. Paul to the Galatians, for example, we are told this wonderful, if incredible, truth about ourselves, about who we really are:
     “When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, made of a woman, made under the law: that he might redeem them who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying: Abba, Father. So, you are no longer a slave but a son, and if a son then also an heir, through God.” (4,4-7)
    We need to process these words slowly so they may sink into our very consciousness and start to live them out. Hopefully, we can little by little overcome whatever disbelief and awkwardness we can feel about this truth about ourselves.
    Of great help to us in this regard is to have a deepening devotion to Mary, the mother of Jesus and our mother. If we try our best to imitate her faith in God, we too, despite all the difficulties and effort involved, can somehow also incarnate Jesus in our own lives. We are actually meant for that, since we are patterned after him and he is also the savior of our humanity that has been wounded by our sins.
    With Mary always in our mind and heart, we would always be led to Christ. She would teach us how to find Christ in everything that we do, no matter how mundane things are. Even the little ordinary things we deal with everyday can be an occasion to have an encounter with Christ as well as a chance to be like Christ as we should. As one saint had put it, Mary is the shortest, surest and safest way to Jesus.
    If we truly have Mary in our mind and heart, then we can learn how to always ponder the truths of our faith and to act on them. (cfr. Lk 2,19) Yes, we can develop a contemplative life even right in the hustle and bustle of our earthly affairs. Yes, we are all meant to be contemplatives because we need to be aware that we are meant to live our life with God and with everybody else.
    We are never alone. Feeling alone is an anomaly in our life. As persons, endowed with intelligence and will, we are meant to be always in relation with God and with everybody else. This potential of ours should be actualized. We need to find ways of how to actualize such potential.
    We need to see to it that we should always feel the urge to pray, to engage with God, to be with him. If we do not feel that urge yet, let’s convince ourselves that we have something most important to work on. Thus, like the disciples of Christ, impressed by how Christ was to them, we should beg him to teach us how to pray. (cfr. Lk 11,1-4)
Again, Happy New Year, everyone! And good luck! -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
 

 
THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Never feeling entitled

THE gospel reading of the Mass on December 29, the 5th day of the Christmas Octave, brings to our consideration the example of Mary and Joseph who complied with the legal custom at that time of presenting the Child Jesus in the temple. (cfr. Lk 2,22-35)
    Given who the child was and who they were, they should have known that they were completely exempted from complying with such law. But they did go just to the same, never feeling entitled because of the highest privilege and honor they enjoyed as being chosen as the parents of the very Son of God. What an example they give us!
    In the process, that gesture of theirs also played out a providential event because a man, Simeon by name, who was promised not to see his death until he could meet the promised Redeemer, had that promise fulfilled.
    In that momentous meeting, Simeon pronounced a prophecy about the child and Mary—that the child would be a sign of contradiction, and that a sword would pierce Mary’s heart so that the thoughts of many would be revealed.
    All these should make us realize that we too, if we are to be consistent in our Christian life, should expect to be some sign of contradiction also, and that some sword would also pierce our own heart.
    We should not be afraid to encounter these scenarios in our life, and should just be prepared. In fact, we should expect these things to happen in our life, what with all the differences and conflicts we are already having these days, not only in matters of opinion, but also in matters of belief and morals.
    But we really have no reason to fear nor to worry. If our faith is strong, deep and abiding, we know that God is always around. How many times did Christ tell his apostles not to be afraid! We should therefore always assume the attitude of confidence that everything would just work out for the good. (cfr. Rom 8,28) Even our limitations, mistakes, sins, as long as referred to Christ, would somehow work out for the good!
    While it’s true that in this life, we have to contend with all kinds of challenges, trials, difficulties and all other possible negative things, we can always count on the help of the Divine who will never abandon us.
    Yes, we have our own share of weaknesses, and we are always hounded by temptations coming from the world around and especially from evil spirits who are more powerful than us (cfr. Eph 6,12), but let’s also remember that we can count on the powerful help of angels and saints.
    Our Christian faith tells us that no matter how powerful the evil spirits are, the good ones will always prevail. It would really just depend on us as to whom we choose to side.
    But again, we cannot deny that in this life, we cannot help but share with Christ in being a sign of contradiction, and with Mary in that a sword should pierce our heart also. We should learn how to suffer with Christ, with Mary and all the angels and saints. It would be suffering that would be meaningful to us, one that would do us a lot of good.
    That is why we should just imitate Mary and Joseph in complying with the indications given to us by the Church, without feeling entitled. -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

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Sports as preparation for Christmas

 THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

CEBU CITY -- Christmas being the birth of Christ our Redeemer, we should be properly prepared for it in both body and soul.     The spiritual preparation, of course, takes precedence over the bodily preparation, but the latter also needs to be given due attention, otherwise our spiritual readiness to receive Christ on Christmas Day would be undermined.
    One good way to make ourselves bodily prepared for Christmas is through sports. If its true purpose is understood and lived well, sports can give us a tremendous help in properly welcoming Christ into our lives.
    We have to understand that sports should not just be a matter of winning in a game or in a race. While that is the immediate intention of anyone who plays, we should go beyond that level and capture the more important purpose of sports.
    Sports should train our body and all its faculties—the senses, emotions, passions, imagination, memory, etc.—to be properly aligned to the true dignity of man which is that of being the image and likeness of God, children of his, sharers of his divine life and nature.
    In short, sports should make us like Christ, the pattern of our humanity and the savior of our damaged humanity. How? By seeing to it that we regard our life here on earth like a sport too, where we have to train ourselves, submitting ourselves to a certain discipline, etc.
    We should echo what St. Paul once said: “Everyone who competes in the games goes into strict training. They do it to get a crown that will not last, but we do it to get a crown that will last forever. Therefore, I do not run like someone running aimlessly. I do not fight like a boxer beating the air.” (1 Cor 9,25-27)
    This discipline required in sports and in our life is somehow indicated in the readings of the Mass of December 19 where we are told about Samson whose hair should not be cut (cfr. Judges 13,2-7.24-25), and about John the Baptist who would not take strong drinks. (cfr. Lk 1,15)
    The real victory that our sports should give us is not so much a matter of winning a particular game, or of making a lot of points, etc., as in making us more a child of God, filled with love for God and for everybody else, whether we win or lose in a game.
    Aside from a strong sense of self-discipline and submitting ourselves in a continuing training program, an indispensable ingredient of this healthy sporting spirit is the sense of acceptance and abandonment that we need to deliberately cultivate.         This does not come automatically, as if it’s part of our genes. We have to develop them.
    We have to be sport and adventurous in facing the different conditions of our life. And it would greatly help if we too can have an abiding sense of humor. Otherwise, we would just fall into states of sadness, pessimism and despair which actually are unnecessary and are avoidable.
    This we can do if first of all we have a strong and deep faith in God, our Creator and Father. If we have that faith, we know that God holds everything in order through his providence. He takes care of everything, irrespective of how things go. Ours is simply to relate everything to him and to go back to him every time we go astray especially at the end of the day. Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
 

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Our lifelong struggle against sin

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

The celebration of the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8 reminds us that like our heavenly Mother, we are meant to be sinless in our definitive state of life in heaven. Our Father God wants it that way since we are his image and likeness.
    As the Eucharistic Preface of the Mass of the Solemnity puts it, Mary is the sign of favor God gave to the Church, which includes all of us, believers of Christ, at its beginning, and the promise of its perfection as the bride of Christ. We are supposed to be like Mary as she was and is completely identified with Christ.
    But given our wounded condition here on earth, we also have to realize that we have the grave duty to continue waging war against sin, because temptations and sins will always hound us all throughout our life here on earth.
    That may be an impossible pursuit, since we all know that we are all sinners, but it should not prevent us from doing our best to struggle to be as sinless as possible. In this regard, we should never forget to develop and strengthen our personal skills in handling temptations. This concern never goes passé, and it touches a basic, indispensable aspect of our life in all levels.
    These days, temptations can come to us in the subtlest and trickiest of ways. This can be due, at least in part, to the increased level of sophistication both in people’s thinking and in world developments, especially in the area of technology and ideology.
    With these developments, temptations can easily come undetected, and sin can be committed in a most hidden way and can even be easily rationalized. How important therefore it is for us to always grow in humility and simplicity, aggressively finding practical ways to achieve them! If not, we would just be lost.
    As can be easily noted these days, the healthy fear of God is disappearing. In its place, a most heinous sense of self-importance is dominating. The criteria to determine what is good and bad have become blurred. They have gone almost completely relativistic and subjective, declaring total independence from any absolute and objective rule or law that comes from God.
    Truth is, we always need God in our battle against temptations. We should disabuse ourselves from the thought that with our good intentions and our best efforts alone, we can manage to tame the urges of temptations.
    Also, we should help others in their struggle against temptations and sins. In this regard, we have to learn how to fraternize with everybody, especially those in some bad spiritual and moral conditions. Like Christ, we should learn how to fraternize with sinners to help them.
    We have to be wary of a certain tendency to fraternize only with the good people and not the bad ones. Let’s remember what Christ said in this regard: “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance.”
    That is why we need to be tough ourselves spiritually, morally and even physically. We should be willing to complicate our lives for this purpose. In fact, as one saint said it, we should be willing to go all the way to the gates of hell, but not beyond, to save a soul! -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
 

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Lavish or austere?

 THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

IN our liturgical celebrations, we can either be lavish or austere depending on the circumstances. What is important is what is in our heart—whether there is real love or not, whether there is a sincere effort to worship and please God or we are just making a show, whether we are making present the redemptive action of Christ or just playing games.
    We are somehow reminded of this consideration in that gospel episode where Christ observed some wealthy men putting their offerings into the treasury while a poor widow just put in two small coins, and praised the widow more than the wealthy people since the widow put in all that she had while the wealthy men put what was an extra thing for them. (cfr. Lk 21,1-4)
    Obviously, if our motives are sincere and our understanding about the liturgy is clear, we would really give the best that our capabilities can give. If we can give diamonds instead of just gold, then we would do it. We can never give enough to God.     We can never be too extravagant in this regard.
    But if all we can afford are just stones and pebbles picked up from the road, no problem. God looks at the heart more than the things we give him. And to God, there is no more precious thing than our heart if it is fully given to him. One good heart, faithful and full of love for God and others, is worth much more, infinitely more, than a world of precious gems.
    What we have to avoid at all costs is hypocrisy in our liturgical celebrations. If we are really sincere in our liturgical celebrations, we will do and give our best. Even those little details of kneeling, genuflecting, singing and praying should be done in such a way that genuine piety can readily be seen. Such behavior not only would draw more graces from God but also would inspire others in their own piety.
    I am happy to note that there is a marked improvement in the way our churches are built and furnished these days. The altars, the reredos, the ambos and the general interior decoration are being done in a splendid manner. The sacred vessels and vestments, the linens have, in general, improved in quality.
    They somehow show the kind of faith and piety of the people in general, even if we also know that we still have a lot of economic difficulty around. They somehow show people’s knowledge of what truly matters in this life, what truly gives them eternal joy and not just a transient one. Their sense of beauty transcends the economic costs and all other sacrifices involved.
We just have to make sure that our liturgical celebrations are done with the proper dispositions. This is something that has to be studied and put into practice, since it is no joke to be involved in the liturgy properly either as a celebrant or a participant.
    To be sure, the liturgy is not just some kind of dramatization. It is nothing less than the making present and effective of Christ’s sacrifice and his entire redemptive action. Both the celebrants and those who attend the celebrations should never miss this reality and should act accordingly. In the liturgy, everyone steps into the spiritual and supernatural world where Christ works out our redemption.
    Again, this requires of us to have a deeply theological mind, where faith more than anything else rules all our human faculties.
    Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
 

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

This business of wrapping up

Fr. Roy Cimagala

WE have to learn how to wrap up our daily activities so that at the end of the day we can present to God what we have done in obedience to his command for us to be fruitful and productive in this life.
    We are reminded of this aspect of our Christian life in that gospel episode where some people asked Christ about when the Kingdom of God would appear. But Christ, instead of answering them directly, told them the parable of a nobleman who, before leaving on a journey, gave his 10 servants some gold coins and instructed them to do business with them. (cfr. Lk 19,11-28)
    In other words, Christ told them not to worry so much about when the Kingdom of God would appear. Instead, they should be more concerned about how they should be doing in their temporal affairs because only when they do well in this area would they be properly prepared for the Kingdom of God when it finally comes.
    We have to realize that what Christ told those people is also what he telling us now. Instead of being too concerned about the end of time and Judgment Day, what we should rather do is to see to it that we are always prepared for them by carrying out our duties in this life as best that we can. In short, that we should be as fruitful and productive as we can be in obedience to what God commands us.
    This concern will obviously involve that practice of planning and managing our earthly affairs well so that we can be fruitful and productive as God wants us to be. As much as possible, we should avoid leaving our affairs purely to chance. It’s definitely helpful to have some kind of a to-do list, and to establish a proper focus, always wary of the many possible distractions that can come along way.
    Thus, we should realize that the practice of wrapping up our daily affairs is a must. It’s a way of summarizing our daily affairs, hopefully bringing them to good conclusion. It’s a way of monitoring the progress of our daily duties, making some kind of balance sheet, tying some loose ends, and preparing the so-called deliverables.
    We should inculcate the need of developing this practice to everyone, especially the young ones who are often distracted and trapped in their own world, unable to relate themselves to the ultimate purpose of our life.
    In this regard, it’s important that everyone gets to have a truly global picture of life, developing a sense of time that is connected to eternity. We have to realize that what would truly connect time with eternity is when whatever we do here on earth is done with faith, hope and charity with God as the main object and all the others as an unavoidable accompaniment of the exercise of these virtues.
    We should not be doing things with purely earthly and temporal goals only. We need to refer them to our eternal goal with God. That is why, St. Paul said, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10,31)
    We should learn how to make everything we do as a form of prayer. St. Paul articulated this truth when he said, “Pray without ceasing.” (1 Thes 5,17) And this is always possible and practicable since all that is needed is the awareness that everything we do is done with God and for God. -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Developing a keen sense of management and accountability

Fr. Roy Cimagala

THAT’S what we are reminded of in that gospel parable about a man who embarked on a journey and entrusted all his possessions to his 3 servants, giving them different amounts of talents. (cfr. Mt 25,14-30) When the man returned from the journey, he asked for an accounting of what he gave them. And we know how that parable ended.
    In our life, we should try to develop a keen sense of management and accountability over all the things God has entrusted us with. Obviously, this will require first of all that we are clear and strong about our Christian faith so we would know what our life here on earth is all about.
    We cannot deny that even among Christians, many do not exactly know what the ultimate purpose of our life here on earth is. They take things for granted, or they just allow themselves to drift to wherever life’s many currents and forces would bring them.
    We should realize very deeply that God’s first mandate to men, through our first parents, was: “Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living things that moves upon the earth.” (Gen 1,28)
    In other words, everything that we do here on earth should be in obedience to this original mandate from God in whose image and likeness we have been created. There should be nothing that we do in this life that is not in keeping with obeying this original commandment from our Creator.
    We cannot say that what we are doing is purely a personal project of ours, or that it is just matter between our family and us, between our bosses and us, etc. Everything that we do should first of all be a matter between God and us.
    And so, we need to manage well what God has given us, such that we follow as best that we could what he has commanded us. Thus, we need to expand and deepen our sense of management and accountability to cover not only our businesses and other earthly concerns, but also and first of all our spiritual life.
    We should be accountable not only to ourselves, to our family and to some other earthly superiors, bosses and authorities, but also and most especially to God. After all, he is the original and ultimate boss, our common father and creator of all.
    And, of course, the parameters and standards to be used should not just be the temporal and worldly, but rather the spiritual, moral and supernatural. We need to educate ourselves in this sense of management and accountability proper to us.
We even have to account for the words we speak, as attested in this passage of St. Matthew’s gospel: “I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.” (12,36-37)
    St. Paul in his Letter to the Romans also said that “each of us will give an account of himself to God.” (14,12) And in his second letter to the Corinthians, he said: “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, so that each one may receive what is due for what he has done in the body, whether good or evil.” (5,10) -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
 
 

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Dealing with unavoidable evils in this world

    THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

WE have to be realistic in this life. There are unavoidable evils in this world and we should just learn how to deal with them properly without compromising what is essential in our Christian morality.
    We are reminded of this fact of life in that gospel parable where Christ told his disciples about a certain rich man whose steward was reported to him for squandering his property. (cfr. Lk 16,1-8) Of course, the steward was sure of being fired.
    As the gospel narrates, the steward did some tricky maneuvers to save him from his predicament. And in the end, the master commended that steward, because as Christ said, “For the children of this world are more prudent in dealing with their own generation than the children of light.”
    As I’ve said a number of times before, this parable is the most intriguing since it would seem that Christ is just ok with some cheating. But to me, it simply means that Christ is being realistic with our situation in this world. We try to put everything in our life right, clean and moral. But no matter what we do, we would always be hounded by evil and by all kinds of dirt, physical, moral, spiritual.
    This parable seems to tell us that we should just learn how to live with this condition and do our best to come out ok in the eyes of God in the end. What may be considered as aggravating circumstance in human justice may be regarded as saving grace in God’s eyes.
    We may have to handle dirt in our life and deal with situations that are wrought with moral irregularities, but as long as we do not compromise what is essential, which is love that comes from God as shown by Christ who became like sin without committing sin (cfr. 2 Cor 5,21), then things will just turn out ok.
    We have to learn to distinguish between what is a tolerable cooperation in evil and an intolerable one. With the former, we should feel the obligation to do whatever we can to clean up what is evil in a given situation, system or structure.
    We should try always to be helpful, positive and constructive in our outlook, avoiding having the attitude of simply looking for faults in others and for what is wrong in a given situation.
    Of course, neither should we ignore the wrong things around, but we should not be discouraged by them. On the contrary, they should pose as an invitation and a challenge for us to do something about them. It may take a lot of time and effort to do this, but we should just be patient and persevering, never giving up on the effort to put things right.
    Let us always remember that evil in all its forms cannot stand on its own. It will always depend, like a parasite, on something that is good and true which it tries to deform or deny. We just have to find a way to take that parasitic evil away from its host. What we have to avoid is to get so frustrated as to do nothing about it.
    In this regard, it is good that we master the moral doctrine about cooperation in evil. Evil, as we said, is growing around us and has struck deep roots. We have to learn how to deal with it. Obviously, we cannot help but get dirty ourselves, and yet there is also a way to clean up and make up. We just always need to return to God, as often as necessary. -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

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The quest for unity of life

 THOUGHTS AND VIEWS 

Fr. Roy Cimagala

WE are reminded of this duty to pursue the ideal of unity of life in that gospel episode where Christ told the crowds and his disciples that while the leading Jews had taken their seat on the chair of Moses, they should do and observe what these leading Jews would tell them, but not to follow their example. (cfr. Mt 23,1-12) The reason? “For they preach but they do not practice.”
    This, sadly, is a fact of life. We ourselves often can be accused of the same thing. We can be very good at preaching but poor in practice. We can be excellent in terms of theory and doctrine, but the aspect of morality is another story. Yes, it’s part of our human condition to fall into some forms of inconsistency and hypocrisy in our whole life!
    But we should not be overly worried about this phenomenon. It’s not the end of the world. We can always do something about it. And in a sense, our whole life is precisely a matter of how we can achieve consistency and unity among the different aspects and dimensions of our life—the spiritual and material, the temporal and eternal, the theoretical and practical, the personal and social, etc.
    What God expects from us is that we struggle against this lifelong predicament of ours. As long as there is some struggle, God would already be happy with us. We are not expected to perfect everything, because it will only be God who will do that for us, but also, with us.
    In that gospel cited above, we are given an idea of how we can pursue this ideal of unity of life. And that is to be humble. It’s this virtue that would open us to the grace of God that in the end is the only way we can achieve this unity of life. Let’s forget and dismiss the idea that we can achieve this unity of life by our own efforts and powers alone.
    This crucial virtue of humility can be developed in two ways: when we humble our own selves and when we are humbled by others or by some unavoidable circumstances. In that gospel cited above, Christ told the people that they have to humble themselves in the sense that they should avoid places of honor and privilege when invited to banquets, for example.
    We have to realize then that any privilege, honor or praise given to us is a call for us to be more generous in our self-giving to such an extent that we would not run away from making the supreme sacrifice of giving our life for God and the others, just like what Christ did.
    Our attitude should be to sharpen even more our desire to serve and not to be served. Christ made it clear to the mother and the brother-apostles, James and John, when he said, “The Son of man has not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mt 20,28)
    Reiterating the same idea, he told them, “You know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great men exercise authority over them. Not so is it among you. On the contrary, whoever wishes to become great among you shall be your servant. And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave.”
    No doubt, with humility we can make progress in our quest for unity of life! — Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
 

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Much will be required of the person entrusted with much

 THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

CHRIST clearly said this. In that gospel parable where he told his disciples to be always prepared for judgment, (cfr. Lk 12,39-48) Christ clearly admonished his disciples to be ready to face the Lord, able to account for all the things that have been entrusted to them. If they are given much, much will also be expected from them.
    The lesson Christ wanted to impart to his disciples, and to us, is that whatever blessing, gift or privilege given to us should never lead us to feel entitled. Rather, we should feel that a greater responsibility is actually given to us, for which we have to do some accounting on Judgment Day.
    That gospel parable somehow reminds us that we are just stewards, not owners, of the things of this world. Thus, we have to be responsible and accountable for how we use the things of this world. In this regard, we have to see to it that we be as fruitful and generous in the use of the things of this world, not wasteful and prodigal. We need to distinguish between generosity and prodigality.
    We have to learn to distinguish between the two since both can look the same and can involve more or less the same amount of money, time, effort, etc. Generosity is, of course, not prodigality, though it is never sparing of the resources that may be needed to pursue a real good.
    Prodigality is simply a matter of wastefulness, oftentimes of the thoughtless and selfish kind, as dramatized in that parable of the prodigal son. (cfr. Lk 15,11-32) It is an irresponsible way of using one’s resources, endowments and blessings that are made to respond simply to one’s whims and caprices.
    It’s always good that whatever service we do for others, we should be as generous as possible without spoiling them. And whatever attention we give to ourselves, we should try to be as sparing as possible without, of course, harming us or jeopardizing our health, etc.
    Pertinent to this point, Christ said: “Give, and it will be given to you. They will pour into your lap a good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over. For by your standard of measure it will be measured to you in return.” (Lk 6,38)
In other words, the more we give, the more we actually will receive. Christ promised as much when he said: “Everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children of fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Mt 19,29)
    We have to realize then that any privilege, honor or praise given to us is a call for us to be more generous in our self-giving to such an extent that we would not run away from making the supreme sacrifice of giving our life for God and the others, just like what Christ did.     Our attitude should be to sharpen even more our desire to serve and not to be served.
    We should never feel entitled. Christ himself was the first one to live by this principle. Being God, he emptied himself to become man and to bear all the sins of men by dying on the cross, all for the purpose of saving mankind. (cfr. Phil 2,7)
He reiterated this point when he lamented about the domineering sense of entitlement of some of the leading Jews of his time while praising the poor widow who put all that she had into the temple treasury. (cfr. Mk 12,38-44) --
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Missing the forest for the trees

IT’S an idiomatic expression that means “to not understand or appreciate a larger situation, problem, etc., because one is considering only a few parts of it.” It’s an expression that aptly describes what was dramatized in that gospel episode where Christ was accused by a Pharisee who invited him for dinner of not observing the protocol of washing hands before the meal. (cfr. Lk 11,37-41)
    “Oh, you Pharisees!” Christ said. “Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside?”
    With those words, Christ was trying to tell his host that he, being the son of God which the Pharisees could not believe, ought to be exempted from that detail of washing since he was trying to show them that he was the maker of both “the inside and the outside” of things.” In other words, the host missed to get the bigger and more important point Christ was showing him due to a tiny detail that blinded him from seeing it.
    It’s a danger that we should be most wary about, because it can also happen to us quite often. It’s when we become too legalistic or too formalistic in our interpretation of certain things that we miss the more important part of a situation or issue.         We would be missing the true spirit of a law, or get so trapped in the details that we fail to see the whole picture.
    We need to be keenly aware of this common danger and do everything to protect ourselves from it and to fight it, since it will always be around, given our human condition here on earth.
    The secret again is to be in vital union with Christ, referring everything to him, especially our legal and judicial systems, and the ways we make, interpret and apply our laws.
    Christ clarified this point in so many words when he told the Pharisees who questioned him about why his disciples were doing something that was forbidden in the sabbath, that “the sabbath was made for man, not man for the sabbath. That is why the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.” (cfr. Mk 2,23-28)
    We have to understand that all our laws should be based on what is known as the natural law that in the end is a participation of the divine eternal law of God, our Creator and the first and ultimate lawgiver.
    And that part of natural law that is specific to man is called the natural moral law that would recognize, as its first principle,     God as our Creator and source and end of all laws. It is the law that would lead us to be God’s image and likeness, and children of his, sharers of his divine life.
    A legal system not clearly based on this fundamental principle about laws would already be a system that is defective ‘ab initio.’ A legal system that is based only on some human consensus would put the spirit of the law in full subservience to the letter of that law.
    This kind of legal system is what is referred to as legal positivism. This means that the laws are valid not because they are rooted in moral or natural law, but because they are enacted by some human authority and are accepted by society as such. -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Charity means all in

INDEED, that’s how charity is. It’s all in, irrespective of how the objects of our charity are. They may reciprocate our love for them or not, they may like us or not. On our part we should just continue to love them if charity truly dwells in our heart.
    We are reminded of this truth of our Christian faith in that gospel episode where a scholar of the law asked Christ what he had to do to inherit eternal life. And Christ simply said that he had to love God with everything that he had and to love his neighbor as himself. (cfr. Lk 10,25-37)
    And when asked who his neighbor was, that was when Christ told the parable about a man who fell victim to robbers in his journey and was left half dead on the road.
    A priest saw him but passed by. A Levite also just passed him by. But a Samaritan, who at the culture of that time had the least relation with the man, was the only one who took pity on the man. It was the Samaritan who proved to be the good neighbor to the victim.
    Yes, charity is for everyone. It has a universal coverage. It’s not only for those who are  right   in   something.   It’s also for those who  are  wrong.  It’s not   only for the winners. It’s also for the losers. Not only for friends, but also for enemies!
    But the universal inclusivity of charity does not do away with the exclusivity of truth. It does not do away with the distinction between good and evil, between right and wrong, between truth and falsehood. In fact, it sharpens that distinction. And yet, it still works in all that distinction.
    Yes, charity is all-inclusive, though it is expressed, of course, in different ways. As they say, we have to have different strokes for different folks. And that’s simply because at the end of the day, whether we like it or not, we are all creatures and children of God, brothers and sisters to each other.
    We have been created by our Creator out of love and for love.
    We have to realize that our life here on earth can be described as a journey toward our ultimate home, which is to be with God our Father and Creator in heaven.
    It will be charity that would keep us going and that would enable us to leap to the eternal supernatural life with God.
While here on earth, we have to realize that we form one body and that we are actually on the same boat. Despite our differences and conflicts, we have a common origin and a common end. We are bound to care for one another. We are meant to love one another.
    Charity   is   what   binds   us   together   despite   our   unavoidable   differences   and conflicts. Yes,   we   form one body, but we are different parts of that   body.   We play different roles and carry out different functions.
    So,   we   have   to   develop   with   God’s   grace   the   true   charity   that   is   a   living participation of the charity God has for everyone, including those who go against him.
    Let’s remember that Christ went to the extent of loving our enemies.
    St. Paul describes charity in these words: “Love is patient, is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” (1 Cor 13,4-7) -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
 

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The call for transparency

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

“THERE is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.” (Lk 8,17) With these words of Christ, we are obviously told to be transparent in all our thoughts, desires, intentions, words and deeds. Yes, there is such need also for discretion and tact, but these should not be an excuse or a cover to be any less transparent.
    As to how we can be both transparent and discreet and tactful, Christ also gave us an idea. And that is that we should just try our best to be the light for others, to give good example to others, edifying them always with God or with the right intention.     “No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed,” he said. “Rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” (Lk 8,16)
    To be sure, if we manage to be a light to others by being transparent without compromising the need for discretion, our life would be much lighter and happier. We would unload ourselves of unnecessary burdens. What is more, we would keep our good relations with God and with others. Our life would be much simpler and properly focused on its true ultimate purpose.
    We should really work on our need for transparency and sincerity. We cannot deny that many are the elements nowadays that can undermine that need. Signs and even structures of hypocrisy, deceit, corruption and the like are all around us. Sad to say, they seem to be the mainstream culture today.
    Consider again what benefits a good sense of transparency can give us. It will help us develop and sustain our integrity in life. It means that everything that we do is good, that is, morally good. Of course, this sense of transparency can only take root when it is based on our faith in God who sets all the laws in our life, and therefore, all that is good for us.
    We have to realize more deeply that before God, nothing can be hidden. We therefore have to adapt a lifestyle that would make us do everything in his presence. In fact, we are not simply meant to do things in his presence. It is more to do everything for God’s glory. Thus, when we do things without God in mind, let us be warned that we are already doing things wrongly.
    We should not base our sense of transparency on human, natural and worldly criteria alone. These latter standards do not capture all the good that is proper to us. At best, they may just be silent about the finer nuances and consequences of what is generally good for us. We have to remember that many mysteries shroud our understanding of things.
    But what is bad nowadays is that our human laws and worldly standards have started to go against God’s will. This, of course, can be due to our limitations in truly understanding God’s law. But it can also be due to our sinfulness and malice. Nowadays, I believe it is the latter that has led us to make laws that are openly against God’s law. We need to do something drastic about this predicament.
    And we can start by being sincere in our confessions and spiritual direction. It is indeed necessary that we be brutally sincere when we go to confession and to spiritual direction. We have to learn to lay all our cards on the table so that the human instruments used by God to help us in our spiritual life, can truly help us. -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
 

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Careful with the danger of envy

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

THIS danger usually arises when we are not contented with what we have or with what is promised to us. It arises when we tend to compare ourselves with others in an improper way—that is, not for the glory of God but rather for our own self-interest only.
    We are reminded of this danger in that gospel parable about a landowner hiring workers in different hours of the day. (cfr. Mt 20,1-16) The landowner saw idle people around and decided to hire them, promising to pay them a certain amount of money. When he saw other idle people in the latter part of the day, he also decided to hire them, promising them to pay them something.
    As it turned out, when the time came to pay them, the landowner decided to pay the same amount to everyone, irrespective of the time they were hired. That’s when those hired in the first hour thought they would receive more than what was promised, obviously because they rendered longer time of work.
    But the landowner noticed that those hired in the first hour grumbled about their pay, and so, he corrected them saying, “Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?”
    That’s when the parable ended with the intended concluding lesson with these intriguing words of Christ: “Are you envious because I am generous? Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
    Indeed, we need to be most wary of this danger of envy that would lead us to feel entitled just because we came ahead of the others, or more gifted and privileged than them. That would lead us to think that those who came later than us or who are less gifted than us to be better rewarded by God than we are if they were given the same treatment.
    What we should rather do is to be contented with what we have as given by God through his different ways, and just focus on what we have to do to fulfill our duties and responsibilities. Anyway, in the end God knows what to give us in return, and he can never be outdone in generosity.
    We should just be generous in our self-giving without feeling entitled. This was the example of Christ himself who, being God, emptied himself to become man and to bear all the sins of men by dying on the cross, all for the purpose of saving mankind. (cfr. Phil 2,7)
    He reiterated this point when he lamented about the domineering sense of entitlement of some of the leading Jews of his time while praising the poor widow who put all that she had into the temple treasury. (cfr. Mk 12,38-44)
While it’s true that we obviously are entitled to our rights, we should not feel entitled to privileges and favors that are above our rights and needs. If they come and we cannot avoid them, then let’s be thankful.
    But let’s be reminded that these privileges, favors and blessings are meant for us to strengthen our desire to serve more and not to be served. But as it is, we should try to avoid them, since they tend only to spoil and corrupt us.
    We have to be most wary when we happen to enjoy some privileged positions or status in life because we tend to think that we deserve more entitlements. And not only would we expect them. We may even demand them for us. -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com
 
 

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Beware of the secret bondage

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS 

Fr. Roy Cimagala

WE have to be wary of this spiritual and moral anomaly that, sad to say, is a common affliction these days. It can easily take place when we fail to really give our whole selves to God and to the others, giving an opening for this most deceptive anomaly to enter and dominate our life in a hidden way.
    Let’s remember that when Christ was asked what the greatest commandment was, he said that it was to love God with all our heart and with everything we have. And without being asked what the second greatest commandment was, he just said that it was to love our neighbor as ourselves. (cfr. Mt 22,34-40)
    That is actually the ideal condition of our life, short of it precisely opens us to temptations, sins and other anomalies some of which can dominate us in a hidden way. What is worse is that we can easily cover them if we happen to appear normal outside, if we have talents that people appreciate, if we have good social skills, or if we happen to have some authority and enjoy a good standing in society.
    And since these can be hidden with hardly anyone noticing them, we would always be tempted to just keep them to ourselves. That’s when they can fester to such an extent that they can become irreversibly incurable.
    These cases of secret or hidden bondage can arise in the area of our human weaknesses. Thus, people can have this enslavement to pornography and sex, to drinks and drugs, or worse, to some evil spirits who can appear to them, as St. Paul warned us, as an angel of light. (cfr. 2 Cor 11,14)
    In cases like this, the most important thing to do is to pray hard, offer a lot of sacrifices, and then open up with someone who can help those affected spiritually and morally. And if needed, some professional help from psychologists or psychiatrists who have good human and Christian formation may be availed of.

In today’s world, we can say that many are the elements and developments that can lead and even reinforce people to fall into this very sad predicament. There are now powerful ideologies that subtly but consistently promote this kind of bondage. And the many conveniences offered by the new technologies can make things easy to keep this enslavement—really a sweet poison—going.

The things that the AI (Artificial Intelligence) can do, if not used properly which can easily be done, can give us many distorted and totally false things that can appear true and credible.

Before, we used to say that “pictures do not lie.” Nowadays, that saying cannot be true anymore. Aside from not telling us the whole story of the event the picture shows, it can be totally made-up.

The other day, I saw pictures of prominent figures like Trump, Obama, The Rock doing things in Divisoria, Manila. They were completely made-up, and that’s why these images are rightly termed as “AI-generated hallucinations.”

People affected by secret bondages should first go to God, have a real conversion of heart, beg for his grace, and be totally sincere in their spiritual counselling and, if needed, in seeking the professional help of doctors.

We all need to be convinced that our true joy can only be had if we manage to rid ourselves of whatever secret bondage we may be bearing for quite a while already.Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

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Blending different aspects of our life

 THOUGHTS AND VIEWS 

Fr. Roy Cimagala

IT’S a   skill   and   art   that   we   need   to   develop. We cannot deny that we have different aspects of our life that can be competing and conflicting, and we should just learn   how   to   blend   them   as   best   that   we   could   into   some   meaningful   unity   and consistency.
    Our life involves both the material and the spiritual, the temporal and the eternal, the short-term and the long-term, the here-and-now and the last things, the biological, social, cultural, historical, economic, political aspects,  etc. We have to learn how to orchestrate them together so as to lead us to our ultimate goal, which is to be with God in heaven.
    We are reminded of this need in that gospel episode where Christ already talked about how he was going to end his life and complete his mission here on earth, and then later he was asked about whether he had to pay taxes. (cfr. Mt 17,22-27)
    Pursuing this need for consistency and unity of life should be an abiding concern for all of us. Even if we have to contend with many aspects and dimensions of our life, it is only one life that each of us has, not two or three. And thus, to build and keep our unity of life is a daily task of ours. We can neglect it only to our own serious risk and damage.
    We can manage to have this consistency and unity of life if we identify ourselves with Christ.  Let’s remember what Christ  said  so  clearly.  He is the vine,  we  are   the branches. We can only have life, let alone, consistency and fruitfulness in our life, if we are united to him. Outside of him, we can only expect death, inconsistency and sterility.
    Yes,   only   in   and   with   Christ   can   we   have   the   real   principle   of   unity   and fruitfulness in our life. We would be fooling ourselves if we fail to recognize this basic truth about ourselves.
    This, of course, is a truth of faith, not so much of science. And that’s where the problem lies. There is a crisis of faith in the world, especially involving those who rely more on their human abilities than on belief in Christ.
    We have to correct  that predicament by  realizing more deeply that our life  is supposed to be a life with God since not only are we one of his creatures, but a creature that is meant to be his image and likeness. We are meant to be like God through Christ in the Holy Spirit. That’s how we can have consistency and unity of life.
    We have to reiterate the truth that we need Christ who is our “way, truth and life” with God to have a solid, genuine unity of life and an unwavering focus even in the midst of so many things in our life.
    We just have to learn how to strengthen our relation with Christ, overcoming our natural awkwardness and difficulties, knowing how to pray, studying and assimilating the doctrine, availing of the sacraments, rectifying our intentions, developing the virtues, observing proper priorities, etc.
    We need to be more aware of our duty to establish, build up and strengthen the unity in our life. We only have one life, made up of many parts, aspects, stages and levels, and subject to all sorts of conditions, big and small, favorable and unfavorable, etc. The challenge is how to put all these things together in harmony.
Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Why do we have to lose to win?

Fr. Roy Cimagala

WHY? Because Christ said so. “Whoever wishes to come after me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me. For whoever wishes to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for my sake will find it. What profit would there be for one to gain the whole world and forfeit his life?” he said. (Mt 16,24-26)
    We have to   make some adjustments in how   we see  and  understand things.
    Those words of Christ actually describe for us what true love is. It’s when we give up everything in   a  way  that  would fill   us  with  what  is proper   to  us,  when  true love   is generated.
    This is the example of Christ himself, who in the words of St. Paul said that “in our relationships with one another, we ought to have the same mindset as Christ: who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his  own advantage; rather  he made  himself  nothing  by  taking  the  very   nature  of  a
servant, being made in human likeness…” (Phil 2,5-7)

We certainly have to make some drastic adjustments in our understanding of what true love is. It will always involve self-giving, a certain losing in order to win, a certain giving up to gain something more important.

Christ   taught   about   this   kind   of   love   in   those   parables   that   compared the Kingdom of God with the treasure hidden in the field, or with the merchant looking for fine pearls. (cfr. Mt 13,44-45) A certain giving up is always involved when we have to find what is best for us. And we should not be contented with what is good enough in the context of the good being the enemy of the best.

Christ wants us to lose in human terms so that we can win in the end in divine terms   which   is   what   really   matters.   This   is   made   clear,   for   example,   when   Christ articulated the beatitudes that would somehow put us in the losing end in order to have the victory of being truly blessed. (cfr. Mt 5,3-12)

This is reiterated when he talked about the willingness to lose an eye, an arm, a foot, if these would cause us to sin. Better to lose them and enter heaven rather than to have them and get to hell. (cfr. Mt 5,29-31)

In another instance Christ clearly told us that for us to be his disciples, we should be willing to ‘hate’ our father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even our own life. We should be willing to carry our cross. (cfr. Lk 14,26-27)

To be able to live by this divine logic, we of course would need first of all the grace of God. We have to ask for it with humility. And then we need to do our part, exerting the due effort to acquire the appropriate attitude and corresponding virtues. We should have the attitude of willingly giving up everything else just to be with God. “Vale la pena,” it is all worthwhile, should somehow be like a slogan for us..

Everyday, we have to see to it that there is always something that we give up not only for some personal goal or interest, but also and mainly for the love of God and others.

Let’s hope that the little self-denials we do  every day will prepare  us  for  the ultimate self-detachment we have to make to enter into our definitive union with God. -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

The value of the little things in life

THE parables Christ told his disciples that compared the Kingdom of heaven with a mustard seed and a pinch of yeast (cfr. Mt 13,31-35) obviously are meant to tell us that, yes, heaven and everything related to it can and should be found in the little and ordinary things in life which we tend to regard as insignificant. We can already have a taste of heaven while here on earth as long as we take care of the little things.
    Those parables are like some breaking news meant to jolt us from our tendency to disparage these little things. As Christ said, he used parables to “announce what has lain hidden from the foundation of the world.” In other words, that the little and ordinary things in our life have great value, and have been willed by God since the beginning.

We should then try to make the necessary changes in attitude and understanding regarding the little things. We have to realize that it is in them where true knowledge and love of God is developed and maintained.

When we fail to see, know and love God in the little things, it is very likely that we also will fail to see, know and love God in the big things of our life. Let’s keep in mind what Christ said in this regard: “One who is faithful in a very little is also faithful in much.” (Lk 16,10)

In short, the point we should realize more deeply is that sanctity, our ticket to heaven, certainly requires heroism, even to the point of martyrdom. But we can be sure that by being consistently loving in doing the little things of life, especially when they are hidden and unappreciated humanly, we would already be very heroic indeed, even approaching the level of martyrdom.

What we have to do is to learn to find Christ in the little things which comprise most of our day, if not of our whole life. Another way of saying it is to learn to refer everything to Christ, no matter how little or insignificant it is.

We should always be with Christ at every moment of our day, offering things to him, asking him questions like, “Lord, how should I deal with this particular situation, be it an exciting work, a boring and tiring moment, etc.?”

We should never dare to do things simply on our own. Especially when we find ourselves in difficulties, in a quandary, in moments of temptation, etc., we have to go to Christ as quickly as possible and cling to him as tightly as possible.

And we should never forget to thank him all the time, for such gesture connects us with him in an abiding way. When we are with Christ especially in the little things of our day, how can we doubt about having heaven in us while still here on earth?

We therefore have to learn to find Christ in everything, doing so not in some generic, theoretical way, but in a specific, practical way, one that is abiding and active. This, of course, is a great challenge to all of us, but if we believe in this truth and we try to conform ourselves to it and to persevere in it, for sure we can achieve a certain degree of success. -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

 
THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Careful with our judgments

YES, we really need to be most careful with our judgments, since it is very easy for us to fall into rash judgments. Given our personal weaknesses and the conditions around, that tendency to make rash judgments is always there. We need to be wary of it and do whatever we can to counter it.
    We are reminded of this danger when Christ said, “Stop judging, that you may not be judged. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.” (Mt 7,1-2)
    We need to understand these words of Christ well. To be sure, he does not mean that we should never make judgments, since in the first place we are by nature made to judge. The fact that we have intelligence and will, and that we are meant to know and to love, simply presumes that we are made to judge. We cannot know anything nor love anyone if we do not make a judgment.
    Thus, in that gospel cited above, Christ said took it as a given that we are made to judge. “For as you judge, so will you be judged,” he said. What Christ wanted to tell us that we just have to make sure that our judgments are fair and prudent. And given the limitations of our human condition, we have to be most wary when we make judgments.
    Nowadays, with all the “Mariteses” around and the pervading culture of spreading all kinds of spins and narratives in the areas of journalism, politics, etc., we need to make extra effort to be protected from the pressure of making rash judgments.
But more than just being protective and resistant to this tendency of making rash judgments, we should enhance our duty to take the initiative to make charitable judgments of everyone and everything.
    That means that we should try to think well of everyone and of everything. Even if we see defects, mistakes and other forms of evil, our judgment should remain charitable rather than simply condemnatory. Of course, we should keep the distinction between what is right and wrong, good and evil.
    When we are faced with any form of evil, let us remember that we actually are given a golden opportunity to grow in charity.     That should be the attitude to have in that kind of situation. Obviously, we would initially feel bad and can fall into anger and the like when evil comes our way. But we should not stay long there. We have to convert that situation into an occasion to be more charitable.
    For this to take place, we obviously need to identify ourselves more closely with Christ who is the personification of charity and sound judgments. He gives us the proper example of how to be charitable in our judgments and reactions to the various events and conditions of our life.
    Let’s realize that we can only see, judge and know persons, events and things properly when we have a vibrant interior or spiritual life, a vital link not only with theories and principles, but with God himself.
    Let’s never dare to emit judgments that are mere products of our own making. We have to make them always in the presence of God and motivated by nothing other than love for God and for everybody else. We have to continually check on the rectitude of our intention, and the correctness and timeliness of our words and deeds. -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

 

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

Beware of the devil

THERE is a part in the gospel that talks about two demoniacs whom Christ met as he was going to a certain place. (cfr. Mt 8,28-34) They were known to be so savage that no one could pass by the place where they were.
The demons behind these possessed men readily recognized Christ for who he really was and asked what he would do with them. And since Christ would definitely free the possessed man of them, they begged that they be driven to a herd of swine nearby.
    That was when the demons entered the swine, and the swine ran off into the sea and drowned, leading the swineherd to report this disquieting event to the townspeople who, disturbed by what happened, asked Christ to leave the place.
    That was the wrong thing to do, of course. But given their state of mind at that moment, they failed to realize that what they actually had was a golden opportunity to be with someone who could solve their problems.
    We have to be wary of this tendency to run away from Christ or, worse, to ask him to leave when we find ourselves in similar situations. We may be stunned and frightened for a while, but we should not forget that Christ holds the answer to all the problems and difficulties we may have.
    But we have to be more wary of the very subtle tricks of the devil. Being spiritual beings, they are be smarter than us. We should always be aware that they are around, ever eager to deceive us, offering us sweet poisons of all kinds.
    That we now have many cases of people in serious predicaments in the areas of mental health, addiction, etc., somehow point to the handiwork of the devil. They know very well how to take advantage of our weaknesses to inflict their malice on us.
We, therefore, should never take the devil for granted. They are always around, ever scheming and plotting against us in many, many ways, and often in a manner that is so subtle that we may not even notice him. As St. Peter would put in his first letter: “Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion seeking someone to devour.” (5,8)
    We should never consider the devil as a myth, or as some kind of literary device only to highlight a point in the drama of our life. He is as real as you and me. Our problem is that we think lightly or, worse, falsely of him. And so, we become completely unprepared to deal with his antics.
    But in spite of that unfortunate fact of life, we should remember that the devil cannot do anything against us unless allowed by God. And if allowed, it is because God in his mysterious providence can always draw a greater good from any evil the devil may cause in us.
    We should have a strong and intimate relation with God in order to deal with the devil properly. Our spiritual life, our piety should be continually nourished through prayer, sacrifices, resource to the sacraments and to some program of ongoing formation.
    We should never forget that only with God can we properly deal with our own weaknesses, and the many temptations and sins around. Only with him can we manage to resist the devil himself. Without him, we are an easy prey, a sitting duck. Our earnest desire should be how we can be with God always, our union with him as strong and vibrant as ever. -- Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

The storms in our life

THAT gospel episode where the apostles found themselves in a storm in the middle of the lake (cfr. Mt 8,23-27) teaches us a great lesson about absolute trust in God’s providence amid the twists and turns, the ups and downs in our life here on earth.
    We cannot avoid storms and other forms of negative happenings in our life. But before this fact of life, what we have to do is to try our best to remain calm and just go to God to ask for help. He’s always around. He may appear asleep and oblivious of our predicaments, but he actually knows everything that happens in our life and is there to help us.
    To be sure, the storms and the negative things in our life were not part of the original plan of God for us. They only came out as a consequence of sin, that of our first parents as well as those of ours which are still a continuing affair for us. God allows these things to happen to respect our freedom which we often misuse and abuse. But he also knows what to do with them.
    On our part, whatever storms we encounter in life, whether material, temporal, or spiritual and moral, our attitude and reaction should be that we can precisely use these storms to approach our Lord, begging for help. It would be wrong and would make things worse if we choose to run away from him. God is all there to help.
    No matter how guilty we may be with respect to the predicaments that befall us, God is not scandalized by any wrongdoing we do. He may be angry for a while, but his mercy will always prevail. And his anger and the punishment that may go with it are always meant for our own good.
    And when problems and difficulties beyond our control take place, we should just trust God’s providence and be ready for wherever divine providence would take us. We have to be open to it all the time, developing a faith-guided adventurous outlook.
    Even as we make our plans and pursue them truly as our own, we should not forget that nothing in our life is actually outside the providence of God who can adapt himself to us, even in our worst situations and predicaments, and can still lead us to himself.
    The only thing to remember is that God is always around and is actually intervening and directing our life to him. That is part of his omnipotence which he exercises both from all eternity and in time since our creation and all the way to the end of time.
    There will be things in our life that will be beyond our human notice, and much less, our human control. We have to trust God’s providence even if things look terrible, impossible, or inhuman when judged simply by human standards

Let’s again remember that episode of the apostles in a boat that was about to sink because of the big waves. (cfr. Mt 8,23-27) Christ reproached them for their lack of faith. And in that parable of the wheat and the weeds, (cfr. Mt 13,24-30) Christ was clearly telling them and us that we should just go on doing a lot of good even if we are disturbed by many evils, because in the end Christ would make the proper judgment.

He assures us that with him we will never work in vain and everything would just work out for the good. (cfr. Is 65,23; Rom 8,28)/ Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

 

THOUGHTS AND VIEWS

Fr. Roy Cimagala

When in great difficulty

WHEN we find ourselves in some extraordinary difficulty, we should not hesitate to go to Christ. Let’s beg him for help, but making sure that what should move us to do so is not so much to be rid of the difficulty as to be believe in him as our savior, as our God in whose image and likeness we have been created. In the end, we go to him to be like him, and not just for some self-interest or for some practical purposes.
    We are reminded of this truth of our faith in that gospel episode where an official approached Christ begging him to raise the official’s just-recently dead daughter to life again. And when Christ was on his way to the official’s house, a woman suffering from hemorrhage for 12 years, exerted great effort to get near him if only to touch his cloak, convinced that by so doing she would be cured. (cfr. Mt 9,18-26)
    In both cases, Christ praised their deep faith in him. We have to remember that it is faith that lets us enter into the spiritual and supernatural world. It brings us to share in God’s wisdom and power. Remember those stirring words of Christ: “If you have faith as a grain of mustard seed, you shall say to this mountain, Remove from there, and it shall remove, and nothing shall be impossible to you.” ((Mt 17,20)

Without faith, in spite of our keenest intelligence, we will miss much of the more important aspects of our life as we would only be restricted to the here and now, the material, practical and the temporal. We would miss the real purpose of our life, which is for us to be like God.

 

We need to exert effort to have the proper intention whenever we ask some extraordinary favors from God. That’s because very often we are moved to run to God only for some practical motives. We forget that in all our dealings with God, the main and constant reason is to adore him and to express our desire to be like him as he wants us to be.

We should be careful not to let our great difficulties set aside the main reason for asking favors from God. This is actually a big challenge for us, since with our tendency to consider only the here and now, we forget to pursue the real and ultimate purpose of our life.

This, of course, will require a certain discipline on our part. That’s why we need to avail of certain practices of piety that would constantly remind us of the main reason for any petitions we make from God.

This is a big challenge that would require us to be sober and to learn how to be contemplative even while we are in the midst of the ups and downs of our earthly life. We have to broaden our understanding of the character and purpose of our life here on earth, and know the purpose, the causes and the reason for our human predicaments.

We just have to remember what St. Paul once said: “To them that love God, all things work together unto good, to such as, according to his purpose, are called to be saints.” (Rom 8,28) These words of St. Paul should be at the very core of our attitude when we are faced with our difficulties in life. --

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

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