Blending different aspects of our life
>> Friday, August 18, 2023
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 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.
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
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
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
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)
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)
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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