Surprised by Charity

And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? (Lk 1:43)

I had a similar expression when Msgr David Forde knocked on my door 21 years ago.  He explained that it was his practice - as parish priest- to visit new members of his flock. (Luckily I was at home and tidied up!) We talked about the Holy Week celebrations in the parish, the religious practices at home, etc. He was surprised to find out that in a big parish in the Philippines, there would be nine Masses on a Sunday! He encouraged me to participate further in the life of the parish. A few months later, I became a Mass reader. He took time to proofread and supported the publishing of the "Seven Sorrows and Seven Joys of St Joseph" (sevensorrowsandsevenjoysofstjoseph2015print version.pdf) in the parish and beyond.

There were other instances when Monsignor surprised me.

In one Mass where I was about to read the Prayer of the Faithful, he asked people to pray for Filipinos affected by the eruption of Mayon Volcano. I felt ashamed because, until that Mass, I never knew of this tragedy in our country despite having a Filipino channel in my telly.

On another occasion, as I was finishing my prayers in front of St Joseph's statue, he approached me to say that he would like me to become a foundation governor at St Margaret Clitherow Primary School. I was about to say no, but Monsignor assured me that I can do it.
When he was assigned to Holy Cross Parish (Hucknall) and later retired, I kept in touch with him via e-mail. Sometimes I also assisted him when he provided cover for our parish priest.

I was still in the US when I received an e-mail from him offering his sincere sympathy on the recent death of my father. He also told me that he will say Mass for the happy repose of Papa's soul. I don't recall informing him of Papa's demise. His message and prayers were much appreciated by the family. This was Msgr Forde's last surprise to me.

Like the Blessed Mother whose visit to the hill country of Judea surprised her cousin Elizabeth,  Msgr Forde's actions surprised me. I believe that Monsignor mirrored the Immaculate Heart of Mary. He made such moves because his heart, like that of Mary's, was filled with charity.  And when the heart is filled with charity, that charity is meant to be given away, to be shared. And what a surprise those good deeds are especially for those who cannot repay them such as "the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind..." (Lk 14:13).

Msgr Forde, many thanks for those surprising moments. Your gestures have affirmed my faith and strengthened my hope. I'm pretty much sure that others have a similar experience. Rest assured that we will continue your legacy. May Jesus the Eternal High Priest along with the Blessed Mother, angels, and saints welcome you into His kingdom. We love you!

Expatriates

Having a community of expatriates has many advantages. On top of the list is having a support system. It's no joke living in another country by yourself. Belonging to a group of fellow Pinoys would make you feel that someone's on your side.

There are, however, some challenges that Filipino associations abroad face. 

First and foremost, personal commitments such as family or work.  It is unfortunate that there are less opportunities in our country which makes a huge number of our countrymen migrate to greener pastures. The demands of family life are intertwined with the demands of our job. Expatriates went abroad because they want to provide a better life and future for their family.  This is quite understandable. Family comes first, the rest are second. If one member has to attend to their family's needs and is unable to support a community event, surely someone (from the same community) will be able to pitch in. Such acts of kindness would help a community to thrive.

There are other challenges which have to be avoided at all costs. Remember the seven deadly sins (see http://pbsa3.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/overtaken.html)? 

Take pride for example. Imagine if community members are paimportante (self-important), if gatherings become avenues to show off (from clothes to gadgets to cars), if people have a sense of entitlement (e.g. "I am your leader, you must follow my orders.", "I have been a member of this group for the past so and so years so I deserve to be given an award."), how can the community thrive?

Or how about envy? A kababayan had a great achievement and his colleagues alleged he cheated. An expatriate had a job promotion and his kababayans pull him down. A member was appointed to a committee and some label him as "the favorite". You may have heard about stories of Pinoys being deported because they don't have the necessary papers. Unfortunately, the people who often tip them off to the authorities are fellow Pinoys.


I remember a few months ago how the Filipino American Symphony Orchestra (FASO), a non-profit organization focused on promoting Filipino culture through orchestral music was besmirched, not by another nationality, but (of all people) a Filipino (read: https://memebuster.net/maharlika-lied-about-funds-raised-by-faso/).


And here's what FASO has to say: http://fasofoundation.org/statement-of-the-filipino-american-symphony-orchestra-faso/


I am not writing this because Bob Shroder, FASO's Musical Director and Conductor, is my first cousin, but because of the evil done against the group out of envy. If it's not envy, I don't know what else to describe it.  If envy abounds, how can the community survive?

And sloth? There are members who will do their best for the good of the community. There are others who won't bother to lend a helping hand at all. Strangely, you'll see some of these when it comes to parties. Surprisingly, these are the members who often moan. If sloth is in the air, how can the community pull through?

St Pio of Pietrelcina once said "The Rosary is the weapon for these times". Against pride, we are offered Christ and Our Lady's humility. Against envy, charity. Against sloth, zeal for souls. If our communities are in peril of being affected or are affected by any of these deadly sins, now is the time to find those beads hanging around one's statues, gathering dust through the years. Now is the time to reflect on the Rosary's mysteries which contain "...everything that is true, everything that is noble, everything that is good and pure, everything that we love and honor, and everything that can be thought virtuous or worthy of praise." (Phil 4:8). 

Now is the time to pray the Rosary!

Live Life Beautifully

(The first item below is the reflection I shared during the Novena to Our Mother of Perpetual Help organised by the Filipino Rosary Crusade-Nottingham North at Our Lady of Perpetual Succour Parish Church on 23 February 2013.)

I was walking past Super Drug(a drug store in the UK) a few days ago when my attention was caught by its poster which says: “Live Life Beautifully”. Of course, that store was enticing buyers to purchase a host of their products that could ‘beautify’ their customers. As to what extent in their lives, that is another story.

Lent offers a similar message, but presented in a rather negative slogan: “Remember man that you are dust and unto dust you shall return.” Being dust all along and being dust in the future isn’t beautiful at all. This is Lent’s wake-up call for us. And with this call, Lent offers us 3 important gifts: Prayer, Penance, and Charity. Here in our parish, they are given a more practical context: Live simply, sustainably, in solidarity with others.

Most if not all of us have been availing of these gifts every Lent and even beyond. Perhaps it’s good to ask ourselves:

Prayer


Do we pray like Samuel who once said “Speak, Lord your servant is listening” or do we just want God to listen to what we have to say to Him?

Are we like the Pharisee, in Jesus’ parable, who prayed as though God would be impressed with all his good deeds or are we like the tax collector who couldn’t even raise his head to heaven, but could only strike his breast while saying “Be merciful to me, Lord, for I am a sinner”?

Are we like Jesus who always prayed that His Father’s will be done?

Penance

Do we fast and abstain just to lose weight or do we do it to alleviate the sufferings of others?

Do we make sacrifices grudgingly or with a smile?

Do we face our crosses with a moan or with trust?

Charity

Do we serve the community just to win people’s praise?

Are we just after the number of likes in whatever religious posts we make in Facebook?

Do we feel bad when someone else has outdone us in our service in the parish/community?

Are we annoyed when people don’t see eye-to-eye with us?

Do we love because we are compelled to do so or do we just love to love?

Are we choosy when being nice to others?
Fr Richard Veras, a parish priest in New York, commented that “There is a temptation to see Lent as a time of self-improvement, during which my focus is on myself. However my sin shows me that my hope can never be in myself. My only hope is that someone save me…Let our focus be not on ourselves, but on Jesus…He is the one who saves me from my miserable condition; it is his merciful gaze which awakens and transforms me.”

If we focus our prayer, penance, and charity on Jesus, Lent can be a wonderful experience for us. Not something that we avoid or something that we commemorate for the wrong reasons. Rather than a sad occasion in the life of the Church, Lent can be a moment of rejoicing because of the salvation that the Lord has won for us. Such is the beauty of Lent! Yes, we are dust, but if we follow Jesus faithfully and lovingly, our destiny is far better than dust. Our destiny is to be with Him forever.

Let’s therefore ask Mama Mary’s help that like her, our attention and our actions will be only in and for Jesus. And let's encourage and nurture others - our kids, our colleagues, our neighbours - to do the same.

United with our Lord in this holy season, let us live life beautifully!

***

Pope Benedict XVI's resignation on February 11 came as a shock. It was just a day ago when the Gospel was about Simon Peter being chosen by the Lord to be a 'fisher of men'. We acknowledge the Pope as St Peter's successor (As I write this, it's the Feast of the Chair of St Peter, a celebration commemorating the primacy of Peter in the community of believers; an unbroken role filled in by Peter's successors, a.k.a.the popes).  The resignation is new to almost everyone since the last pope to step down lived 5 centuries ago.  Some quarters cried foul saying the Pope can't do that because it's like saying 'No' to God.  I learned that the Pope can do that in his own volition as contained in Canon Law.  I was shocked and yet I admired him for doing such a courageous act.  It has been said that John Paul II once contemplated of resigning,  but in the end left everything as is.  I could understand Benedict's decision for he would have definitely witnessed how his predecessor ebbed away.

Benedict XVI has been described more as a teacher than an administrator of the Church. Compare his writings against the various controversies that bedevilled the Church in his term: Vatileaks, Vatican Bank controversies, sexual scandals involving priests, etc. Some commentators consider him as a weak pope for not being able to effect the needed change in the Roman Curia (the departments and agencies in Vatican).  The process involved in the new English translation of the Mass is an example of how the Roman Curia imposed changes to the English-speaking churches rather than leaving things in the hands of the bishops conferences. To be fair, Benedict did what he could to reach out (read: meet up) with victims of sexual abuse. By doing so, he has acknowledged that such evil existed. Unlike Cardinal Angelo Sodano, Dean of the College of Cardinals, who dismissed the issue as mere gossip. The Pope has also sanctioned Fr Marcial Maciel, founder of the Legionaries of Christ, when it was discovered that he  was involved in sexual abuse and sired children. During John Paul II's time, this priest was untouchable as his congregation gave huge donations to the Vatican.

There is a buzz that cardinals who will be electing Benedict's successor next month are looking for a pope who will bring order to the Curia. Indeed, there are curialists who have behaven badly which put the present pope in bad light.  If a revamp can be done, then the collegiality of bishops (with the pope as primus inter pares) as envisioned by Vatican II will become a reality. And I also hope that they would look for someone who' will reexamine  the current English translation of the liturgy.

This Lent. let's offer our prayers, penance, and charity for Benedict XVI thanking God for his leadership, service, and example.  Let's also offer these Lenten gifts to the College of Cardinals that they may be inspired by the Holy Spirit to elect a pope who will be a true shepherd of the flock and fisher of people.