'Woman, great is your faith!'

+ RWS 769, August 20, 2017, 20^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Matthew 15:21-28

Then Jesus said to her in reply, “O woman, great is your faith!  Let it be done for you as you wish.”

Having great faith

By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD

      Having a great faith does not only drive away doubts in our minds and hearts which could make our life and work uncertain, but, it also makes us feel secure about our being, gives us the sense of power and makes us efficient and effective in every act we do. Faith, essentially, is being certain of something not on the grounds of one’s reason and comprehension of the thing believed, but on the authority of someone acknowledged as superior to the believer.  Faith, they say, is like a leap in the dark, a decision to act when there are no reasonable arguments for it other than the assurance of an authority. Having faith does not diminish the value and dignity of the human reason, rather, it provides the person with a higher level of truth and reality that would somehow complete and perfect human reasoning. In simple words, faith is like what the woman in the gospel did, sure and insistent that Jesus would cure her sick daughter.

      Anyone could have a great faith. He/she needs to accept the truth and fact that God is the Lord, and we are simply His creatures; that this loving God wants to save everyone from total destruction. What one needs to do is simply call on God, accept Him as Lord of his life and trust in His words and worship and serve Him in love. This is done concretely by becoming a faithful member in the Church that God has established on earth through Jesus and His apostles and the Sacraments offered by this Church. Moreover, the believer lives and acts in accordance with the life and teaching of Jesus and His Church in his daily works and activities, assuring him of salvation.

Faith’s reward

By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

      One of the reasons Mrs. Perfidia works so hard is she wants to buy a new car.  “Samahan mo ng tamang dasal para mas madali mong makuha ang gusto mo,” said her close friend, Mrs. Aviar, a bible-believing matron who seems to have found the perfect formula for making God listen to her prayers.  Mrs. A added that Mrs. P should “have faith” and describe what she is praying for—if it’s a car, state the exact color (not just “blue” but sky blue, cobalt blue, electric blue, whatever), the brand and model, etc.—and then “claim it”, as if it’s already hers.

      If it’s the way to get what we want, why must we drag in God into the picture, equating prayer with talking to a car salesman?  What kind of faith is that which goads us on to merely acquiring things to satisfy ourselves?  Even atheists or car thieves can get the car of their dreams without “praying” for it and “claiming” it. 

      The faith of the woman described in today’s gospel story is different—first, she asks not for a luxury item but for healing; second, she asks not for herself but for another person; third, she perseveres even when our Lord seems deaf to her pleas.  Sometimes, in our ignorance, we lose our faith when God doesn’t give us what we are asking for.  But faith is tested precisely by the unavailability of the thing or the state asked for.  When we continue to believe in God, in His goodness and love for us despite His deafness and neglect of us—that is faith.  And always, it is rewarded in ways we never imagine we could ever be blessed with.  

'O you of little faith, why did you doubt?'

+ RWS 768 August 13, 2017, 19^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Matthew 14:22-33
Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught Peter, and said to him, “O you of little faith, why did you doubt?”

Having doubts

By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD

            Having doubts is one of the common experiences we humans go through, which we try to drive out of our life. We feel we are not standing on solid ground when we are in doubt. We feel paralyzed not knowing what to do when our mind and reason seem clouded with uncertainties. Such human situation could put our life in danger, and our work unclear. We, therefore, need to diminish, or remove completely any tinge of doubt also in our daily life and work.

            Jesus told Peter, who entertained some doubt about his safety even when the Lord “stretched his hand and caught Peter” to have faith—faith in Him! Jesus would tell each human being to believe in Him and be saved from all kinds of evil. Believing in Jesus does not happen and should not be done only once in our lifetime. Having faith in the Lord involves every moment of our existence when we consciously accept that all of what we are depends on His power, and that we do every act, like our daily tasks and works, for Him and because of Him. We work as if our Boss is the Lord, doing our task with everything we’ve got, in order to please Him. Believing in Jesus is like seeing Him in our home, in the workplace, in every person we live and work with, and in every event in our daily life. This attitude of believing and the virtue and habit of faith displaces any doubt which disturbs us in the performance of our work and in maintaining a good relationship with others. After all, Jesus is always ready to save you and me.

Ditch your doubts 

By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

      Today’s gospel is particularly empowering.  It teaches us the value of believing like children.  My mother (deceased) loved to tell and retell an incident that happened when I was not quite two years old.  She was in the garden when she saw me clambering on the window sill on the second floor.  Nearing panic mode, she cried to me, “Jump!  Jump!”, stretching her arms up to catch me.  She said I managed to sit on the sill and hold on to the post (our ancestral house was of Spanish architecture, with “barandillas” and a central post for the very wide windows), and was getting ready to jump into her arms when an older brother grabbed me from behind in time.

      I think this little story best illustrates a child’s doubt-free state of mind.  A child simply obeys what the voice of authority commands for she is too innocent to worry.  An adult reasons and tends to have doubts—What if I can’t?  What if it hurts?  What if I look like a fool?—and so hesitates in spite of prodding from the divine.

      It would be a pity to live a life of doubt, always haunted by fears, bitterness, failures, and painful memories that have steadily robbed us of the ability to trust in ourselves.  Like Peter who started to sink the moment he feared the winds, we, too, can sink into negativity if we do not learn to live in the presence of God, to believe in His love, to ditch our doubts, to forgive and move on.

Transfiguring our planet

+ RWS 767 August 6, 2017,  The Transfiguration of the Lord

Gospel: Matthew 17: 1-9

And he was transfigured before them…”Rise and do not be afraid.”…

The Transfiguration 
By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD

Jesus showed three of His apostles His glory as the Son of God. His transfiguration did not only fill His human followers with a glimpse of His divinity, but also gave them, and every human being for that matter, an assurance of the beauty and greatness of a life hereafter with God, the giver of life. The transfiguration of Jesus gave Peter and his companions a greater dimension of their life and work following Jesus as their Lord. For every believer, life on earth and everything one does could be valued in relation to the “hidden glory” that can only be seen with the eyes of faith and experienced with the love, worship and service of the Lord.

      Human work and activity then are valuable not only in terms of the material and economic considerations; they can acquire additional value and an eternal one at that, when the worker and his life and activities are united and joined to the person and life of Jesus, the Messiah. What is consoling about this is that God himself is the one who offers such kind of life. It was Jesus who brought Peter and his companions to a preview of the divine glory. It is Jesus who continually invites every human person to believe in Him and allow Him to bring the person to His life and glory. The person needs only to think, feel and do with Jesus. In Him and through Him. One’s daily life and work would be transfigured from merely physical, material and economic entities to something more meaningful, highly valuable, and spiritually nourishing experiences here on earth. Every worker then has the daily opportunity to re-live the wonderful experience of Jesus’ Transfiguration.

Transfigure our planet

By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

      When I imagine the transfiguration of Jesus—in dazzling white robe, floating in mid-air, flanked by prophets Elijah and Moses, with the apostles cowering in fear on the ground—I am awed.  And I wonder how this mystery strikes Jesus’ followers today, especially the young people, the millennials.

      One day I was in the mall killing time before watching a movie, some splendid piano playing caught my ear—it was coming from the game zone.   Curious, I entered, looking for the genius at the keyboard, but I found neither piano nor genius—the music was but part of a game a young man was intent on playing.  I hung around the room watching the various players, eager to see what excitement young people would pay good money for.  Their zeal amazed me; they were totally absorbed in a world densely populated by superheroes and supervillains, zombies, mythical gods and demi-gods, aliens, and enhanced humans—all with unli powers battling one another for supremacy.  Where would our Lord’s transfiguration fit in that violent world—or in the hearts of those who see fictitious superheroes as saviors of the universe?  If the transfiguration suddenly popped up the screens, would they recognize the Lord or just be annoyed that a guy in a blinding white gown and two old men are interrupting their game?

      Let’s face it: Jesus cannot vie for the young’s attention in cyberworld where spectacle after spectacle distracts from real life.  Faithful followers of Jesus offer themselves entirely to the Lord; in turn, they are unwittingly transformed as witnesses to the reality of Jesus, a reality that can transfigure our planet in a way no superhero or demi-god can.

Finding the buried treasure

+ RWS 766 July 30, 2017, 17^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Matthew 13: 44-46

“The kingdom of heaven is like a treasure buried in a field…”

The Treasure

By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD

      Every human being, consciously or unconsciously, is looking for a treasure which will fully satisfy everything he needs and desires. Jesus offers to everyone this treasure, which is the kingdom of heaven. This kind of treasure is not something material which could be stolen or destroyed, but, it is a life of happiness with God for all eternity. It is a life of the human being so filled with the love of God that everything he does is what God wills for him. This treasure is found in every time and place by the human being who lives and works for God, with Him and in Him. Becoming conscious and aware of the presence of the Source and Giver of life in every moment of living and working is like discovering this most valuable treasure.

      One’s daily work and labor would be heavy and burdensome when the kingdom of heaven is not considered as its essential part. No amount of money and/or material compensation could satisfy fully the human worker. Deep within the worker’s being is a heart formed by the Creator after His own image, which can only be at peace only when it “rests in God’s hands”. The worker then should dig deeper in order to discover the treasure of God’s loving presence in his life and his activities. The worker needs to remind himself, or allows others to make him aware of the spiritual dimensions of his work and noble purposes and reasons for doing one’s work. He should not stop at the earthly treasures of his work; he should go beyond the good things he enjoys with his daily work by having a lively faith and love for Jesus in his daily tasks.

Eye on the treasure

By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

      This treasure Jesus speaks of is buried in a field.  Repeat, buried.  Which implies that we have to toil hard in order to find it.  People who are employed in the big cities, it seems to me, would dig twice as hard to get to this treasure, the kingdom of God.  It is because the big cities offer so many other treasures, treasures that we, human that we are, would tend to desire more than anything else.  These treasures are more palpable, yield immediate pleasure, and could make us think, feel, and believe we can have heaven here and now.

      Even those who earnestly seek the kingdom of God while working in the metropolis may be derailed in their search; despite their efforts at maintaining a serious prayer life—daily Mass and communion, etc.—they could still be easily distracted.  I speak from experience.  Even if it’s prayer that begins and closes your waking day, in between you could still be pummeled from all sides by distractions that have a way of making you feel they’re the most important things to attend to.  On top of that are things we don’t really need to do but which we allow to consume our time anyway because they provide relief from stress or the semblance of a social life (talk about Facebook and Candy Crush).

      What, then, do we do to stay focused on Jesus’ treasure in the midst of all our earthly “treasures”?  All the ways known to me I have repeatedly written about here.  I think it’s time I heard from readers.  What do you do to keep your eye on the real treasure?  Email me please at teresatunay@gmail.com Thank and bless you!

(Cartoon courtesy of Pinterest)

The mustard seed

+ RWS 765 July 23, 2017, 16^th Sunday in Ordinary Time

Gospel: Matthew 13: 24-43

“The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field.”

Mustard seed

By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD

Jesus wants everyone to come to the Kingdom of heaven. He came on earth and became man just for this—bring everyone and everything into God’s kingdom. He fulfills this mission not by uprooting man from his earthly existence but by transforming his daily life into something greater than the natural and ordinary. Jesus transforms nature into a supernatural reality, and ordinary human life and work into experiences beyond their material and temporal value. The little or insignificant human act, like a very small mustard seed, could grow into a huge, fruitful tree, through the saving and sanctifying deeds of Jesus Christ. The Lord wants to take our human existence and activities into His level of divinity. Every act we do, even the most insignificant, when done with Jesus, for Him and through Him, could be very meaningful and valuable in the sight of the Lord. It could help us gain the fruits of eternal life.

      The worker should therefore take advantage of the special offer Jesus is making to everyone who wants to be saved by making the effort to be aware of the Lord’s presence in his daily life and in every place of his work and activities. He could do this by praying habitually, in his thoughts or even accustom to start his daily activities with words of prayer, worship and adoration to God. He could also invite his co-workers to simple acts of prayer in the workplace. The little practices of faith in the presence of God in the places of work and among fellow workers, would be like the mustard seed which could become a huge tree which could provide the workers abundant source of valuable and meaningful work.

 A vision of goodness

 By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

Don’t you notice that many times, workplace squabbles between colleagues start from some seemingly small and insignificant thing?  A casual remark, for example, could be perceived in various ways, blown up out of context and proportion and cause misunderstandings.

      There is an exercise used in skills upgrading seminars to show the dynamics of verbal communication.  Ten volunteers stand up front, the lecturer takes Volunteer #1 aside (two meters away) and reads to him a short piece of news which the volunteer must remember without taking notes.  He then transmits what he heard to Volunteer #2 who must do the same until the news reaches Volunteer #10 who must report what he had heard.  Then his report is compared to the original news item that was read to Volunteer #1.  Almost always, the volunteer’s report will be very different from the original.  This is because people differ in perception, interpretation, and memory.

      This exercise illustrates how an apparently harmless comment could—in its multiple retelling—morph into something really destructive.  If something could go from harmless to harmful, something worthless-looking (like a mustard seed) could also grow into something truly beneficial to man.  Thus, it is important to have a vision of goodness to help us conserve our energy for what can lead to its realization.  For followers of Jesus, that vision of goodness could be a world where love, kindness, and compassion reign supreme.  The kingdom of God, indeed!