Giving Till Enough

'For a Christian, his Xtian existence is ultimately the totality of his existence. This totality opens out into the dark abyss of the wilderness which we call God. When one undertakes something like this, he stands before the great thinkers, the saints and finally Jesus Christ. The abyss of existence opens up in front of him. He knows that he has not thought enough, has not loved enough, has not suffered enough (Karl Rahner, Foundations of Christian Faith, p.2)"

This excerpt from Karl Rahner bridges the commemmoration of All Souls' Day and this Sunday's Gospel on the Widow's Mite. Like the widow, we are encouraged/ challenged to give not just our of our surplus, but from the substance of our life, our self. Many times, though, we think we have given enough, we have thought enough, love and suffered enough. But faced with death, with the real possibility of entering into the dark abyss, indeed we realize we could have given, thought, loved, suffered more.

We pray that day won't find us full of regrets; but rather ready to leave all, for have have given all... to our God who has given His all.

Happy Sunday!

Our Companions in the Journey

"Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the sake of the joy that was set before him endured the cross, disregarding its shame, and has taken his seat at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:1-2).

For me, this is the message of All Saints' Day. The saints are witnesses: they testify to the enduring and eternal value of following Jesus. They cheer for us as we run the race towards the true life. They encourage us when we are tempted to drop out of

the race, when we feel as if we are running alone, when we uselessly compare ourselves with other runners. With the saints, we fix our eyes on Christ who is at the head of the race, leading us as the pioneer, but also the goal of the race, as the perfecter of our faith.

The saints, then, not only pray for us, but also accompany us in our journey towards Christ. Thank God for the saints, thank God for our companions.

That I May See

Bartimaeus rightly calls Jesus "Rabboni", meaning "Teacher" because that was what Jesus had been doing just before they met. And this we have heard the previous Sundays. Jesus had been teaching his disciples fidelity (when he rejects divorce in favor of God's will for man and woman to be in an indissoluble marital bond), simplicity (when he told the rich young man to sell his belongings and follow him), humility (when he explained to his disciples, especially to James and John that greatness and primacy lies in being a servant and the least of all). But these are difficult teachings to understand. The disciples, and we, can not understand because we do not see the logic; we could not see how we can be secure without money; we could not see how we can be great by being the last.

The blindness of Bartimaeus is a metaphor for the blindness of the disciples to the teachings of Jesus. Perhaps our blindness, too.

"What is it that you want me to do for you?", Jesus asks. With Bartimaeus, we reply with all earnestness, "Rabboni, I want to see!"

What's it all about, Alfie?

One way of appreciating the Gospel message of this Sunday is to read it as a continuation of the "discipleship" theme that Mark develops in his gospel, a theme that started with the gospel of two Sundays ago, on Divorce and last Sunday, on the Rich Young Man. In fact, the Gospel for next Sunday, Blind Bartimeaus, should also be read in the context of this theme.

All these three Gospel episodes show the radical, therefore difficult, demands of discipleship, of following Christ. They also show us how different the way of Christ is from the ways of the world. While the world says, "when the relationship is getting sours, dispatch the woman (or man)," Christ says, "What God has put together, let no human being put assunder.' While the world says, "To have riches, thick wallets, several credit cards, multiple bank accounts is the most secure way to go," Christ says, "Go and sell your belongings and give the money to poor." And while the world says, "Make sure to get promotion as quickly as possible or do your best to keep the top position, no matter what," Jesus says, "the best place is the lowest; the biggest man is the smallest." A totally different standard, a totally odd worldview, a totally difficult way of proceeding.

Why follow Him? The first reading hints at a possible answer:

"Because of his affliction he shall see the light in fullness of days;

through his suffering, my servant shall justify many..."

What is your life about, Alfie? For you or for others. By your answer, you will know which way to go.

Little Things with Great Love

The appeal of the Little Flower, St Therese of the Child Jesus, lies precisely in her "littleness". During her day, she must have been an unknown cloistered nun. To her family, she was a child easily given to tantrums. Later on, however, as a nun, she fulfilled her duties with much dedication and love. Every little thing that she did, she performed with much love and with great trust that God pleased with what she was doing, and that He was accepting her offering of these daily tasks for the mission. Hence, hers was not just great love, but wide vision, piercing through the thick convent walls to see and be one with the missionaries in far flung countries.

St Therese is indeed a saint for us, small people, trying to do our daily, routinary tasks with great love and wide vision.

And I feel very blessed that on my first month here in London, I will have the chance of praying before the relics of St Therese which is being brought here for veneration is some selected churches.

At the Foot of the Cross

Mondays and Tuesdays are low days in the Bilibid prisons because no visitors are allowed on these days. The prison camps come back to life starting Wednesdays up until Sundays when visitors are again given permission to enter the camps, the cells and the holes of the prisoners. Amidst the hardships and diffculties of life in prison, the presence of the visitors, especially of the inmates' wives and mothers, is the source of consolation and strength of the prisoners.

Mary at the foot of the cross certainly provided Jesus with the strength and courage which he badly needed during the hours of his ordeal on the cross. A mother's presence, even without words being uttered or lullabies being sung, is enough to make a son sturdy as steel and brave as a beast to endure the terrible sufferings he has to go through.

May we, too, be encouraged by the Blessed Mother's constant and consoling presence at the foot of our respective crosses.

The Way God Thinks

The Gospel contrasts God's way of thinking with (wo)man's way of thinking. What is the difference between the two? At issue in this Sunday's Gospel passage is the value of suffering. While for humans, suffering is a dead-end, in which there is no way out, for God, suffering is an opening that leads to something greater, something bigger. But since that "something" is not readily experienced, it is difficult to believe in it. Here is where "faith that does good works" is necessary, as the second reading emphasizes.

My 3 months experience in prison ministry (National Bilibid Prisons, Muntinlupa City) has taught me to believe in this promise. The prison is a place of suffering: physical, psychological, spiritual, for the inmates, and for us who minister to them, who journey with them. But our daily celebration of the Eucharist, most often with utmost fervor and devotion, and the real felt need for God's mercy and hope, awakens in us the conviction that beyond, and even in the midst of the suffering they are going through, an opening towards a new life is showing forth. And this new life can begin not only after they have served their sentence, but and even during the time they are in prison.

Hence, our church volunteers: sacristans, readers, eucharistic lay ministers, and others, are all inmates. Many of them have seen that "opening' and have entered through it. Some are still stumbling along the way in search of the way to it. You and I may think they won't find the way. But God thinks otherwise, and that makes the big difference.