Poor Yet Rich in God's Sight

When we were moving from the Sherwood area to the Bestwood area in Nottingham almost 10 years ago, one of the first things I thought of was where is the church located.  By doing some Google-search, I found where the church is located.  Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Parish has its own website and I surfed through it, enjoying the pictures of the church on display in the web. I left a message on the web's guest book.  

We moved eventually to Bestwood, started to worship at Our Lady's, and got to know more the people there.  Out of the blue, someone sent me an e-mail welcoming me to the parish.  No, it wasn't the parish priest. Nor was it someone from the parish pastoral council.  It was one Sr Margaret, a nun from the Poor Clare Monastery which just next door to the parish church.  I was surprised and, at the same time, touched by Sister's gesture. Surprised because, based on what I was told in the Philippines, Poor Clare nuns don't interact with people outside their convent. Touched because, in spite of that 'border' between those inside the monastery and outside, I felt being one with her community.  That oneness continues till this day.

My family sees the sisters as a part of our support system. We contact them every time we need prayers, for ourselves or for others. So much is our closeness to them that we named our daughter Chiara Francesca, after Saints Clare and Francis, the founder of the Poor Clares and the Franciscans respectively. When Chiara was baptised, the sisters at that time (Mother Mary Francis and Sr Margaret) were unable to attend the ceremony, but they gave her numerous gifts.  

On another occasion, while visiting the sisters at Christmastime in 2009, Mother Mary Francis gave her rosary to Chiara - she saw that the little girl was getting uneasy then.  I thought she just gave it to her to play with so I returned it to her before going home. She told me to keep it, for my daughter.  Little did I know that that would be our last meeting - both sisters moved to another monastery south of England early the following year.  We still continue to keep in touch through letters.

Even though there was a change in leadership and composition of the monastery, the sisters have continued to show the same kindness and warmth to us.  Mother Mercy, the present Abbess, is very complimentary to the Filipino Rosary Crusade-Nottingham North.  She once took Chiara by the hand and brought her to their chapel to show her a statue of St Clare. Both of them knelt and prayed in front of the  woman's statue.  Last Christmas, the sisters gave our group a box of cakes and, a doll for Chiara!

St Clare's rule for her order is "to observe the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ by living in obedience,without possessing anything as my own and in chastity". "Without possessing anything as my own". For the materialistic this is unthinkable.  For the selfish this is suicide. For the power-hungry this is madness.

Strangely, St Clare and her daughters (mind you, they have been in existence for the last 801 years!) shame those whose notion of happiness is to acquire or worse hoard material things.  I suddenly remembered Msgr David Forde's punchline in his homily last Sunday: "Enjoy your wealth, but don't let it control you".

Gifts, a rosary, a box of cakes, a doll, prayers. Whatever the nuns gave, they gave cheerfully. St Clare and her daughters through the ages mirror Jesus who "though He was rich, yet for your sake He became poor, so that you through His poverty might become rich" (2 Corinthians 8:9).

Thank you, Poor Clare sisters (be it in Bulwell, Arundel, or elsewhere) for your generosity of heart, simplicity of spirit, humble service, and joyful friendship.  May our faithful Lord bless you always through the intercession of St Clare!

Happy feast day this 11th of August!

Jesus' Alter Ego

When Chiara looks at the statue or image of the Holy Family, she would identify its three members as “Baby Jesus, Mary, and Jesus”. Calling Joseph as ‘Jesus’ by a 4 year old kid is understandable - she might have been confused with other statues of Jesus depicted as a man rather than an infant.  Apart from that, during Jesus' time men wore long hairs and don't shave - Joseph and Jesus would then look identical. I am pretty much sure that St Joseph won’t mind being mistaken as Jesus (without claiming to be Jesus).

Reading on the scarce information we have in Sacred Scriptures on this lovely man, we see him as someone who worked behind the scenes. Someone who would defer his place for others.

In the Gospel reading during Ash Wednesday, Jesus cautioned his followers not to imitate the Pharisees who love to hog the limelight. I think the Lord was thinking of how his foster father conducted his life when He criticised the Pharisees.

We’re nearing Holy Week and during these past few weeks of Lent we have prayed, fasted, abstained, gave alms, and performed other spiritual exercises. Ideally, through these exercises there is a 'dying to one's self' that should happen. Most of the time though, it’s easier to fall into the trap of being showy than dying to one's self because it’s human nature to crave for popularity and recognition, to choose one's 'survival' over 'death'.

As we celebrate St Joseph’s feast day on the 19th, let’s ask that he would continuously inspire and intercede for us so that:

1.) in prayer, we may truly experience God and by doing so, we would reveal more His loving gaze and sweet smile to all;

2.) in our sacrifices, we may depend more on God's providence than our own and therefore become more humble and trusting in Him;

3.) in our acts of charity, we may see the Lord in others and identify ourselves as mere stewards of His blessings.

In a nutshell, may our lives be eclipsed by that of Jesus so we may be truly known as His alter ego, His other selves!

***

 

Habemus Papam! I was about to have my dinner that fateful night of March 13 when I checked my Facebook account and saw a picture of the Sistine Chapel’s chimney emitting white smoke. I rushed to the living room and asked Chiara if I could switch to the news channel. The girl obliged (after some lambing) and I waited patiently for the announcement from the balcony of St Peter’s Basilica.

Everyone seemed to have held their breath while Cardinal Tauran announced who the new pope is. Chiara was getting impatient and wanted me to switch back to Cartoonito. Her mom told her that this was a once in a lifetime moment. She complied.

As I heard the word ‘Bergoglio’ I applauded! A few days after Benedict XVI resigned, I had a chat with an Italian work colleague about who are the Italian papabili (papal contenders). He told me that we need someone from Latin America. I floated the name of Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio (then Archbishop of Buenos Aires). He agreed with me. Though aged 76, he comes across as a strong and able leader. Yet what touched me about this man was his humility and openness to people. His first words were: "Buonasera" (Good evening) which elicited an applause from his audience and even a similar greeting from my daughter. The pope, surprisingly didn't introduced himself as 'pope' but as 'bishop' - indeed the Pope is Bishop of Rome and as such  is primus inter pares (first among equals) in the college of bishops. I'm glad he introduced himself as such and I have that impression that he values the collegiality of bishops which has been 'bypassed' by the previous administration. Also, in his first Urbi et Orbi message, he is telling the people - ordained and lay alike - that we're all in the Church and should work together.

What touched me was when he asked people to pray, first for his predecessor, and then for himself, before he gave his first blessing as Supreme Pontiff.  Won't it be a good idea if priests ask their congregation to pray for them before he gives the Blessing in the Mass?

By choosing the name Francis (after that of St Francis of Assisi), he seems to be telling us that his papacy would embrace the values of this great and revolutionary saint: poverty, peace, and ecology.

I note that he will be inaugurated on the Solemnity of St Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church. Let's all pray for Pope Francis that like St Joseph, he will be open to the Holy Spirit's guidance as he leads, nurtures, and revitalise the Church.

Viva il Papa Francesco!

Hate to be Nice

Chiara likes to draw figures, Disney Princesses especially.  But this weekend as I was preparing her meal, I heard her saying "Where's the feet?" So I had a look at what she was drawing and saw a figure of Christ on the cross. She struggled to draw the Lord's feet so I showed her a crucifix to give her an idea.  She continued drawing and included people watching as Jesus hung on the cross. While drawing she uttered "They hate Jesus." I asked her why and she replied "Because he taught them to be nice." I asked "Do the people not like to be nice?" She gave me the affirmative.

Nice. Considerate. Sympathetic. Cordial. Courteous. Good.  Being nice has been a lesson taught to us since time immemorial, but one lesson we have often failed to learn.  When someone disagrees with us, we are annoyed. When another driver is taking time to cross the road from a junction, we become impatient.  When angered we become ballistic and get even with others. When we encounter a foreigner, we label them nastily. When we know someone who is a 'threat' to our popularity or position, we backstab them.

Lent recalls that moment when all of hated Jesus and His teaching to be good, to love one another as He has loved us.  So much was that hatred that we all connived to have Him killed on Good Friday. Yet, Lent also prods us to make peace with Him by turning away from sin (i.e. from being not nice) and believing in the Good News.

There is a famous prayer that we should strive to say this Lent. In our diocese, the bishop encouraged us to pray slowly and meditatively the Lord's Prayer during this season.  St Francis of Assisi (one of two namesakes of Chiara) paraphrased this prayer:

OUR FATHER MOST HOLY,

our creator and redeemer,

our Savior and Consoler.

WHO ARE IN HEAVEN,

in the angels and saints

enlightening them that they

may know you, for you, Lord,

are love, dwelling in them and filling

them with your divinity, that bliss

may be theirs, for you, Lord, are the

highest Good, the eternal Good,

from whom all goodness flows,

without whom nothing is good.

YOUR NAME BE HELD HOLY:

may our knowledge of you

shine ever more clearly within us,

that we may perceive the breadth

of your blessings, the extent of your

promises, the height of your majesty,

the depth of your judgements.

YOUR KINGDOM COME:

rule us now, through grace,

and bring us at last to your

kingdom of light where we

shall see you as you are,

and our love for you

will be made perfect,

our union blissful,

our joy unending, in you.

YOUR WILL BE DONE

ON EARTH AS IN HEAVEN

may we love you

with all our heart,

ever thinking of you;

with all our soul,

ever longing for you;

with all our mind,

directing all our aims to you

and seeking nothing but your glory;

with all our strength,

spending all our energies

and all our senses of soul and body

to serve only your love and nothing else.

May we love our neighbors as ourselves;

drawing them all to your love

in so far as we can,

sharing their good fortune

as if it were our own,

helping them to bear their trials

and doing them no wrong.

GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD:

your beloved Son

our Lord Jesus Christ,

that we may remember,

understand and revere

the love he showed for us,

and all he said and did

and suffered for our sake.

FORGIVE US OUR SINS

through your mercy beyond words,

through the power of the passion

of your beloved Son,

through the merits and intercession

of the Virgin Mary

and of all your chosen ones.

AS WE FORGIVE THOSE

WHO SIN AGAINST US

and that we ourselves

cannot fully forgive,

make us fully forgive;

make us love our enemies,

truly, for your sake;

teach us how to pray sincerely

to you on their behalf;

and not to render harm for harm

to anyone, but rather try

to do good to all, in you!

AND LEAD US NOT

INTO TEMPTATION

whether veiled or visible,

sudden or searing and prolonged.

BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL

past, present and to come. Amen.

 

St Francis, in his former lfe, wasn't nice. He was a happy-go-lucky kind of guy. But everything changed when he encountered the Lord. May we also encounter Jesus this holy season. When we do, let us humble ourselves and be reconciled with Him. If we do, let's turn our hatred on those situations and attitudes that are not nice: injustice, bigotry, corruption, immorality, etc.  Warning: like Jesus, let us hate the sin, but NOT the sinner!