KENOSIS, CHRISTMAS, AND THE CROSS

Our Blessed Lord did not promise paradise on earth to His chosen disciples. He never pledged to provide a fat bank account, a grand lotto win, or a house and lot in order for the disciples to follow Him. No, He never guaranteed any material possessions in exchange for their response to His invitation. Jesus made no pretensions nor swore to give them assurances of earthly comfort.

On the contrary, He made it clear to them, speaking His mind as He said: “Whoever wishes to come after Me must deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” (Mk 8:34). Jesus never minced words as He apprised His disciples on the demands of Christianity.

Today, great harm has been done to the Church as we, knowingly or unknowingly, have watered down the truth on discipleship that our Lord Himself has set. We allow a lot of people to think that Church membership and Christian discipleship is easy, that they have nothing to lose nor do they have to give up anything. We never made moves to correct this mistaken notion.

Christianity of today has become a religion of addition and instant comfort. “Hey, sister, if you join us, you’ll get these benefits. Hey, brother, if you become a lay minister, a lector, or a choir member, you’ll be treated in a special way.” No, the exact opposite is true. Jesus, from the very beginning, founded a religion of subtraction. And Christianity, as you grow deeper, requires a series of deductions: “Empty yourself… deny yourself… be poor, and depend on nothing and nobody but God. Never expect compensation nor rewards in the here and now.”

Kenosis is emptying

Kenosis is the Greek word for “emptying oneself”, deciding to become a nobody, a non-entity, a zero. Jesus emptied Himself, and we find the perfect expression of kenosis in St. Paul’s letter to the Philippians:

 “Though He was in the form of God He did not regard equality with God something to be grasped at. Rather, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave, coming in human likeness. And when He found human in appearance, He humbled Himself, becoming obedient to death, even to death on a cross” (Phil. 2:6-8).

Jesus allowed Himself to undergo three kenotic experiences, namely: (1) in the Incarnation, He was born poor in a manager; (2) He died a criminal’s death on the cross; and (3) He chose to remain Bread until the end of time in the Holy Eucharist. We are interested here on the first two kenotic experiences.

That He was born poor, an infant in a manger, with simple and lowly shepherds as His first visitors (Lk. 2:7-8), is our Blessed Lord’s first kenosis. Although He is the omnipotent God who can scan the heights of the heavens and the width of the universe, He was just as well like any other new-born baby that giggled, blubbered and cried as any child would. He was the Word that created the world, yet, He, too, cooed, baby-­talked, rolled and crawled as any other infant does. 

And yes, He was the Messiah prophesied in the Old Testament, the King of the kings and the Lord of lords (Is. 7:14, Mt. 1:23, Rev. l9:16), but, then again, He, just like you and me, sucked on His mother’s breasts for milk.

A Christmas poem

Francis Thompson had a poem, telling the story of how a little child approached the baby Jesus in the manger (I quote here from memory):

Dear Jesus (asked the child),

Was thou shy once and just as small as I          

And how did thou feel like to be just like me?

I should think that thou didst cry.

Was thy home all made of sky?

Dost thou have any toy?

And dost thou play with angels

            who art not too tall

Do they play like little boys and girls?

Can thou see me through their wings?

Dost thy mother kiss thee in the night

And hold thee tight?

Dost thou say thy prayer in the night,

How does it feel to be small

And walk and whisper and crawl?

Second emptying

Our Lord’s ignominious passion and death (Jn. 19) is His second kenosis. Before Christ, anyone who was crucified was doomed to hell (or thought to be so) because they were criminals. Everyone who suffered through the loss of lives, severe sickness, or dire poverty were said to be punished by God. Those without husband, wife, or children, were known and perceived to have been under an evil spell. When Jesus came, He was celibate. He suffered as He willingly and bravely submitted to His passion He died on the cross. In so doing, He saved us all from sin He gave glory to the cross.

A Christian martyr in the third century was sarcastically told by the Roman Prefect Oliverius: “It is stupid for you to worship as God a mere man who died shamefully on an infamous cross.” To which the martyr replied: “You remember so well His crucifixion, yet, forget His glorious resurrection and ascension. The crucifixion will prove to you that He was a true Man. His resurrection and ascension will prove that He is, indeed, true God.”

When Jesus was crucified, the disciples saw the worst that had happened to Him. They witnessed what the world did to Him, and realized that they could not defeat Him. Jesus is telling us now: “The victory I won can be yours, too. The world did the unthinkable and unimaginable ever to me, and still, I emerged the champion...by My resurrection and ascension. Life can do the same vicious and vile things to you, bring you down and trample on you.”

Yet, you have the power and the grace to be victorious! Possess the courage to overcome the extreme difficulties and hardships and you can truly conquer the world. Empty yourselves now. Deny your passions and cravings. As you do so, you shall, in the fullness of time, enjoy the glory of the cross.”

When virtually all of Spain was groaning under the Moslem invasion, the Moors chained many Christians to the stone columns in Cordova, among them of which was a nobleman. For several weeks he remained steadfast in Faith until death. Where did he derive his strength? Painfully with his fingernails he kept scratching out and sculpturing a cross on the stone to which he was chained. That sculptured cross still exists to this very day, and visitors view it with much respect for it gave so much strength and encouragement to a hero in agony.

Our Blessed Lord left behind a legacy - that of the glory of His cross and the glorious meaning of suffering (Jn. 20, Acts 1:1-11). The Christian disciple is no longer afraid of dying and suffering, for the promise and the glory of his own resurrection is not far behind. The very Rev. Msgr. Augord, a bishop in flourishing Paris, resigned and decided to go to Africa as a missionary in 1807. At the port, though he was welcomed by the native Christians, he, however, was told that he will find it difficult to live there. And he answered them: “I have not come here to live. I came to die.”

To empty one’s self (kenosis) and to be filled with Christ, to glory in one’s suffering, is Christian discipleship. “Amen, amen, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat; but if it dies, it produces much fruit,” says the Lord (Jn.12:24). Amen!  

MORTIFICATION? ANYONE?

Today, we are face to face with a dim and grim reality, that is, in a spiritual sense. It seems that our generation is trying to avoid anything that has something to do with mortification, penance, or sacrifice. Our youth, more so those who are well provided with all sorts of pleasures and comforts, call the acts of mortification passé or old practice, and acts of self-denial as shots of “kill joy”.

It might be well to understand the true significance of mortification, which comes from the Latin words mors-mortis, meaning “death.” Mortification is related not to one’s clinical or physical death — the stopping of the brain and heart functions. It pertains more to dying to oneself or self-love. Dying to oneself is denying whatever provides pleasure and too much comfort, hence stepping out of the comfort zone. To mortify is to deny pleasure, even legitimate ones.

Carry your cross daily and follow me

Jesus addresses us all: “If anyone wishes to come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me” (Lk. 9:23). In this particular passage, it must be noted that Jesus hurled His challenge to all and not only to His closest friends. This can only mean one thing: that self-denial is a Catholic call to duty. The practice of mortification is not exclusively for the priests and the religious, but an open invitation to every Christian disciple. In a spiritual sense, while men and women of the world are born to live, we who follow the footsteps of Jesus are born to die. To attain a solid Christian spirituality, mortification is a necessity. To draw closer to the crown of glory, one has to carry the cross, undergo passion and death.

Scary huh? There is no Easter Sunday without a Good Friday, for beyond the cross of Jesus Christ lies the hope and glory of His resurrection.

More to be admired than imitated

In the past, acts of mortification include abstinence from meat and fasting for many days, pilgrimage on foot, using sackcloth for underwear, sleeping on flat and rough boards, and even flagellations. Numerous saints used one or all of the above means of dying to self. Some of the mortifications practiced by these heroic saints are more to be admired than imitated.

For sure, God desires not want penance for its own sake. Our Father God wants us to enjoy life and live it to the full (Jer. 29:11). However, beyond any doubt, as all spiritual writings can attest, mortification is meritorious for any serious disciple who wants to be intimately related with Jesus Christ. Without mortification no one can simply follow the footsteps of his Master.

Mortify as we aspire for holiness

To aspire for holiness, we need to fight our enemies both from within and from without, deep within self such as lust and dishonesty and temptations arising from worldliness. It is not solely sufficient to win spiritual victories against sin and the devil, as it is also necessary to overcome our rebellious flesh, our concupiscence, ang pagnanasa ng laman at ang kahinaan ng tao.

One cannot deny that there is an ongoing rebellion within us, the flesh is warring against the Spirit. No believer is exempted from this continuing inner struggle, unless he claims that he too was immaculately conceived like our Blessed Mother.

St Paul complains about the “battle within” in one of his letters: “What I do, I do not understand, since I do not do what I want but I do what I hate” (Rom. 7:15). This rebellion in our human nature is a result of Original Sin. The first sin of our first parents has caused the weakening of our natural inclination to follow the good. Because of the fallen nature in us, there is a need to mortify or die to oneself. From this situation of our fallen nature is where mortification or dying to self is said to be necessary. Only after taming the animal in us will our body be worthy to be called the temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 3:16).

Before our passion enslaves us

The saints were wont to say: “It is better to enslave our passion before our passion enslaves us.” A venerable priest once appeared before his congregation in a kingly robe, a royal crown, and a scepter. When asked for a reason for such an unusual costume, he replied:

“Don’t you know that I am a king!”

“A king? But whom do you rule?” they inquired.

“My subjects,” the priest answered.

“And who are your subjects?” they pressed on.

“My evil inclinations!” he exclaimed.

The priest was right in giving himself the title of a king. And all of us could be kings ruling over our passions by our daily acts of mortification. After prayer there is no other way of ruling our passions than by denying its demands. St. Paul writes: “Now those who belong to Christ [Jesus] have crucified their flesh with its passions and desires” (Gal. 5:24). To crucify our flesh is to experience mortification.

Daily acts of mortification

The following acts of mortification, even outside the Lenten Season, may prove beneficial for one’s spiritual nourishment:

• Always wear a cheerful smile especially for those who bother you;
• Spend more time each day before the Blessed Sacrament and in Scripture reading;
• Forego movies for two months;
• Study harder than usual;
• Suspend shopping of expensive shirts, clothes, shoes, perfumes, and other non-essentials for two months;
• Be silent when unjustly accused
• Fast on words for those who are talkative;
• Forego softdrinks, beer drinking, and cigarette smoking for a few months;
• Reduce by as rnuch as 50% the time consumed for make-up, footspa, and other vanities.

These acts mortify more one’s will and inclinations rather than the body. One can do all of the above acts of mortification and yet merit nothing. It must be kept in mind that the spirit of genuine mortification should be more than overcoming-a-guilt-trip ritual. It should go beyond the practice of giving up something for a while and soon after revert to one’s old self and lifestyle.

Do not tell anyone that you are mortifying

Beware lest you fall into the same trap as the hype about gift-giving during Christmas, which may become a force of habit more than a personal decision to actually share. In short, our dying to self must sink deep into our system and not just remain a fad or an “in” thing. Every action done for the wrong reason or by mechanical force of habit is a defeated act in itself, robbed of its true worth.

Do not tell anyone that you are fasting, doing penance, or helping the poor. “Do not let the right hand know what your left hand is doing” (Mt. 6:1-4). The moment you reveal your sacrifice, you lose your merit.

In self-imposing acts of mortification the intention is important. And the only valid intention in offering a sacrifice is the desire to be united with Jesus on the cross for the salvation of souls and for the greater glory of God. We carry our cross to give more crowns to God.

PRACTICE OF THE PRESENCE OF GOD

Our reception of the Sacraments pertains to the awareness of the Divine inside of us. The Triune God staying within us becomes a faith reality as we receive the sacrament of the Holy Communion. Faith reality means we believe that God actually dwells in our human nature. Thus, after receiving Jesus in the Holy Eucharist, we worship Him who dwells in the center of our being as we spend a few moments of silence.

God inside out

Because the Omnipresent God decided to become the staple Bread of Life, we silently pray in this manner: “Jesus, my Savior, stay within thy soul. I love and glorify You who are within me. Never abandon me and do not leave me orphaned, my Lord.”

The bigness of the Creator has chosen to stay inside the smallness of the created being.        

On the other hand, the practice of the presence of God pertains to the awareness of the Divine outside of us. It signifies our awareness of God’s company and attendance in all places, and at all times.

Isn’t our human experience that we put our best foot forward before our parents, superiors, officers-in-charge, or any individual, for that matter, whom we revere and place in high esteem? Accordingly, due to the awareness of God’s ever present within and outside of us, should we not strive to please Him all the more, with our good words and action?

Should we not show more decorum, good behavior, fair judgment, and gentle manners before the God who is our Father, who dearly loves us? Should we not behave as we claim to be His sons and daughters, that is, as God’s children?

Then we perform well

When we practice living in the presence of God every hour of the day, in fact, every minute of the day, wonderful things can happen to us. In the first place, that practice is an effective aid to enhance our spiritual life. That practice requires from us to do all things with the greatest possible perfection, which means, we act and perform without waste, neither half-baked nor mediocre. In other words, only the best is acceptable to God.

For instance, if you ever decide to offer your office work as an acceptable sacrifice to God, at the end of the day you must be able to say, “I’ve done my best today. I’ve offered nothing less than perfect because I sincerely believe God deserves my best.”

In Brunei, two laborers were working in the field in the middle of a sunny day, one is a Christian and the other a non-Christian. The taskmaster who was supervising them got summoned by the Sultan. When he left, the non-Christian prodded his companion, saying: “Ah, it is time to relax because the master has gone. When the cat is away, the mouse will play.”

The Christian replied with all seriousness: “No, we must work hard just the same. Although our earthly master is off to see the Sultan, the heavenly Master is forever watching us. We are expected to be just and proper at all times.”

Then we shall attempt to avoid sin

The practice of the presence of God is another way of avoiding sin, even the insignificant yet deliberate ones. God sees not only our external actions but also our interior motives and intentions (Jer. 17:10, Rev. 2:23). In the Book of Genesis, God said to Abraham: “Walk in my presence and be blameless” (Gen. 17:1). Absolutely nothing escapes His loving gaze for all things are open and naked before His very eyes. Some people may hypocritically appear good and religious before others, but surely, God knows the inner chamber of their hearts.

Modesty, chastity, and good sense of shame

Virtues related to the human body, they are gone. And pornography trumpets itself in the open and in public, in a private flat screen as well as in the cyberspace.

If only Christians practice to live always in God’s presence, then we all will enveloped with good sense of shame and observe modesty in our deportment at all times. Whether alone or with others, the constant awareness of the Divine Omnipresence can assist our human weakness and help us maintain a sense of Christian dignity in all our actions. Even in our private dressing room, far from the gaze of mortal eyes, deep inside we believe we are never alone.

God sees us and we see Him everywhere

The practice of the presence of God is a consequence of being prayerful. It becomes second nature for a man or woman of prayer to live always in the presence of God. He or she who practices interior recollection and meditative silence never fails to see God in all His creatures. To them, God is in the rising, morning sun or in the beautiful orchid delicately perched against the garden wall. God, in a very special way, is in the people we meet.

External representations like the crucifix or the image of the Sacred Heart of Jesus will easily remind the prayerful soul of God, our Father, in heaven — seemingly far, yet, so near and ever present. From the Divine Loving Omnipresence, there is no escape! For the best place to be for the Christian disciple is to be in Christ: to live in Christ so that Christ may live in us.

Retirement Business and Grey Hair

Retirement Business in the Philippines

Environmental Protection

Why Responsibility to our Earth?

MOTHER OF GOD

As we pray the Hail Mary, we salute the chosen handmaid in the words of Angel Gabriel: “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, Jesus.” We declare our belief in her divine maternity as we say “Holy Mary, Mother of God…” (Lk. 1:26-38). It might be good to understand how the greatness and dignity of that unassuming lady lies in her being the Mother of God, theotokos in Greek.

Catholic calendar

Let us scrutinize the Catholic calendar together, knowing fully well that debates are unending. The Lord’s birthday falls on December 25 because, exactly nine months before, on March 25, the day of the Annunciation, Jesus was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the womb of the Virgin Mary. We assume that the Church, mater et magister, is teaching us on the fundamentals of our faith through dates. Here, the focus is on the birth of Jesus.

Our Lady’s birthday falls on September 8 having been conceived in the womb of St. Ann exactly nine months before on December 8, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. Here, the focus is on the birth of Mary.

Drawing a parallelism, I venture to say that we cannot celebrate the Annunciation without celebrating the Immaculate Conception nor can we celebrate Christmas without celebrating the Nativity of Mary. Can a son be conceived without a mother? Can a son be born without a mother?

From the womb of Mary

The Annunciation, also known as the Incarnation of the Son of God or pagkakatawang tao ng Anak ng Diyos, is the most important event in the history of the world. The Son of God, the Second Person of Blessed Trinity, was destined to come down to earth by becoming the Son of Man in Mary’s womb. God’s invitation to save us, the human family, was closely linked to the personal decision of one woman set apart from all the rest.

By consenting to the Divine call and conforming to the Divine will (Luke 1:38), fiat voluntas tua, Mary, a daughter of Adam, became the theotokos. Heaven rejoiced as hell trembled in fear when the “Word was made Flesh” (John 1:14).

Blameless

Because she gave birth to the only blameless Man, Mary had to be without sin herself. Her Immaculate Conception is God’s way of preparing Mary to assume her role of the Motherhood of God. Again, the most significant role was theotokos, and all other events were preparations as it were. Nine hundred years ago, St. Anselm wrote about Mary:

“All creatures were dead, as it were, useless for men to praise God Who made them. The world was corrupted and tainted by original sin. Now the whole universe rejoices with new loveliness. All creation has been restored to its splendor, through a woman named Mary…who is immaculately conceived. The woes of our first parents have been transformed into joy. God, in desiring to save the whole of humanity, fell in love with a woman, and prepared her to become the MOTHER OF HIS SON.”

Latria, dulia, and hyperdulia

What must our attitude towards Mary be? Knowing that the Son cannot be glorified without the proper respect given to the mother, we cannot but keep in our heart a special affection for Mary, under the several titles. It is of great import here to clarify and clearly stress the meaning of special affection.

It is necessary to differentiate the Greek words latria, dulia, and hyperdulia. Latria refers to the worship made by the creature to his Creator, the adoration offered by the human being to the Divine Being. Only God alone deserves  worship and adoration, latria.

Dulia refers to the respect, affection, or honor of the creature to another creature closely related to God. Hence, dulia is what we duly give to St. Joseph, Saints Peter and Paul, San Lorenzo Ruiz, St. John Baptist de la Salle, St. Michael the Archangel, and the heavenly hosts, all other angels and friends of God in heaven.

Hyperdulia refers to the highest singular form of dulia, which is proper only to one special creature, the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is a unique privilege due her for being theotokos, Mother of God.

Our Catholic Faith never taught us to worship her. We cannot in any manner give the impression whatsoever that we adore (latria) a human being.

Mother of the Church

Other than her Divine Maternity, we give Mary our most special affection because we have become her children through grace. If she is the mother of the Head, it necessarily follows that she becomes the mother of all Christian disciples, the People of God, the Body, the Church.

Our Lord Himself, as He hang on the cross, literally and symbolically entrusted His mother to His beloved disciple John who personifies and represents all Christians of all ages (John 19:26-27). Both her Divine Maternity and her spiritual maternity of all Christians are linked by logical necessity to the dogma of the Mystical Body (Jordan Aumann, OP).

Praying the Holy Rosary

The greatest way of honoring Blessed Mary is to pray the Holy Rosary. Each bead stands for a beautiful rose that we put at the feet of our Mother. The Rosary is also our weapon against the attacks of the evil one.

However, we are reminded, devotion to our Lady should not just end in praying the rosary but must be translated into the imitation of her virtues. Our Blessed Mother, for instance, demands froth her unmarried children purity, chastity, and virginity, and from her married children love of spouse and devotion to children.

ALL FOR GOD’S GREATER GLORY

When the first cable was installed between Europe and the Americas, much thought was given to what should be the first telegram message that would be sent to the New World through the depths of the Atlantic Ocean. At last a sublime decision was made, that is, to send the message of the words of the angelic hymn, Gloria in excelsis Deo (Glory to God in the Highest).

What a fitting message for a new human invention. Giving God all praise and glory is the primary purpose of everything, of creation, recreation, and procreation, of human labor, of prayer and sacrifice, and of our effort to stop corruption and practice Christian discipleship (1 Pet. 4:1). To honor God should be our only intention, when we commit ourselves to any decent work, and work hard for excellence.

A complete Family of eternal happiness

Let us give it a try to fathom the unfathomable, without being presumptuous. The glory of God may be understood in the splendor of the eternal goodness, the unfading beauty, and everlasting love of the Blessed Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. To the glory of the Trinity, nothing is lacking and nothing can be added—hence everlasting goodness.

The Trinity is a complete Family of happiness. And because God is infinitely perfect (Matthew 5:48d), the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and end of all things (Revelation 22:13), God has no need of anything or anybody outside of Himself. Neither does God necessitate someone to complement what is lacking. In an absolute sense, God does not need any or all of His creation, inasmuch as the whole of creation is just one of His Divine whims (Revelation 4:11).

Louis XV, the ambitious king of France, was dazzled by his power, glory, and fortune that he took upon himself the alias of “the Sun King,” a proud title he thought might exalt him endlessly. The title, he thought, might put him equal to that of the brightest creation of the skies. When he died, the funeral oration was delivered by Jean-Baptiste Massillon, the sacred orator of worldwide fame. Standing by the coffin which was about to be lowered into the tomb, Massillon began his eulogy with these words, so touching in their utter simplicity: “Dieu seul est grand” (God alone is great!). “Mes frères et dans ces derniers moments surtout où il préside à la mort des rois de la terre.” And all the rest are nothing but mere reflections in comparison.

Bonum diffusivum sui

The reason why God created the universe out of nothing and the human person in His Image, that sole reason, can be found in His great love and goodness. God is perfect love (1 John 4:16) and love by its nature is intrinsically communicable. God is good and philosophers have reasoned out that bonum diffusivum sui (goodness tends to diffuse itself).

                                  

“Let them give glory to the Lord, and utter His praise in the coastlands” (Isaiah 42:12). In the first place, the goodness, beauty, and order of creation are a reflection of God’s own goodness, beauty, and order. The whole of creation talks, as it were, about God—if only we would care to pause, look around, and listen. The song I BELIEVE aptly communicates through melody the grandeur of God in creation: “I believe for every drop of rain that falls, a flower grows. Every time I hear a new born baby cry, or touch a leaf, or see the skies, then I know why… I BELIEVE.”

Our God is great!

The goodness in creation is nothing else but God-ness. Says St Paul, “For since the creation of the world His invincible attributes are clearly seen. His everlasting power and divinity are being understood through the things that are made” (Romans 1:20).

The Psalmist of the Old Testament summons the sun, moon and stars, the sea, land and plants, and all nations mountain animal and plants, and all nations to join him in praising the glory of God (Psalms 148).

Keppler (1571-l630) intones the following canticle at the end of his book On Harmony of the Worlds: “Our God is great, His power is tremendous and His mercy is infinite. Praise Him, heaven and earth, sun and moon and stars in your own language. Let my soul praise Him, the Creator, as much as it can… Lord and Creator, I thank Thee for having given me so much happiness in Thy creatures, so much joy in the work of Thy Hands.”

Special duty of human person

While the whole universe, creation in general, gives God the glory by reflecting His goodness and beauty, the rational creature, which means, us, thinking beings, are duty bound to give Him much more. The rational creature or the human person is created in the image and likeness of God (Genesis 1:27a). This could only mean that we share God’s nature and is capable of giving back to Him all things we have received from His goodness. We can do this through sincere, intelligent praise, and loving service, omnis gloriam Dei (all for the glory of God)... by “everyone who is named as mine, whom I created for my glory, whom I formed and made” (Isaiah 43:7).

We who claim to be created beings endowed with intellect and free will are called to share in the glory of the inner life of the Blessed Trinity. What a lofty vocation! Because we are specially created, extraordinary loving praise is expected of us. As St Paul reminds the first Christians of Corinth, “The fact is that whether you eat or drink, whatever you do, you should do all for the glory of God” (1 Corinthians 10:31). When drawing his map to the mount of perfection, St. John of the Cross wrote the following in the summit: “Here on this mount dwell only the honor and glory of God.”

           

No wonder that, during the Eucharistic celebration, we proclaim and sing together: “For the kingdom, the power, and the glory are Yours now and forever, Amen!”

HE CAME TO SERVE

Although He is the greatest, He came not to be served but to serve (Mt. 20:28). He came not to occupy a throne, but a cross. The Jews had dreamed of the Messiah, the powerful king, a mighty leader, one who would smash all the enemies of Israel (Lk. 1:68-73). While they were expecting a conqueror, they were given a broken body on the cross. While they were looking for the raging Lion of Judah, they beheld the gentle Lamb of God.

The Son of Man came to give His life as a ransom for many (Is. 53). In so doing, the Master Himself measured up to the standard He was demanding from His disciples.

In Christian discipleship, greatness does not consist in requiring others to do things for you, but learning to do things for others—without the left hand knowing what the right hand is doing. Eminence is neither the consequence nor the measure of how much have you’ve been raised, but rather how much you’ve tried not to be above the others.

Any disciple who decides to follow the Master is duty bound to accept His standard and ingrain it in his heart. If he wants to be great, he is called to be a servant (Mt. 23:11). If he wants to be the first among equals, he is challenged and admonished to be the last (Mk. 9:34/35).

A disciple of Jesus truly serves without counting the costs, and does it without photo ops--until it hurts. 

WORLDLINESS

Worldliness keeps on nagging the serious follower of Jesus: “Be comfortable, seek all securities, enjoy every inch of life, grab all opportunities to enjoy. Conform to the lifestyle of the rich and the famous—glamorous parties, fancy cars, exclusive clubs, top-of-the-line condo unit. By all means, escape from pain and suffering. Happiness means ‘wine, women and song’ remember?”

Our Blessed Lord has repeatedly foretold the time would come when He would go up to Jerusalem where the Jewish religious leaders would make Him suffer and eventually put Him to death, but on the third day He will rise again (Matthew 16:21, 17:20-23, 20:17-19). At one time, St. Peter reprimanded our Lord: “God forbid, Lord! No such thing shall ever happen to you” (Matthew: 16:22).

Jesus reprimanded him: “Get behind me, Satan!” (Matthew 16:23). Can you imagine how St. Peter must have felt? And why did He call Peter Satan? A kind of unkind?

It is because Jesus could only recall how Satan tempted Him in the beginning of His public ministry, how the father of lies promised to give the earthly kingdom on one condition, that is, Jesus foregoes His passion and death (Luke 4:1-13).

           

When Jesus was very hungry after fasting for forty days and forty nights, Satan dexterously asked Him to turn the stone into bread. He tempted Him by saying: “You are hungry, give in to your desires. Remember that hunger is a basic instinct needing to be satisfied. In the same manner, your sexual desires as well as your instincts need to be satisfied. Indulge and appease them. You cannot win the world if you suppress them. Gratify your urges, then you become a real person. Do what the world is telling you!”

All the world was against was His impending crucifixion, a way of the cross, a shameful torture, a painful death. Our Lord’s last temptation was the cry of the people at Calvary: “Aha! You who would destroy the temple and rebuild it in three days, save yourself by coming down from the cross” (Mark 15:29-30).

Jesus’ standard is far different, in fact, the exact opposite of the worldly standard. Time and again we need to remind ourselves that the glorious celebration of Easter is not possible without the penitential preparation of Lent and Good Friday. There is no resurrection unless we go through our own crucifixion and death.

God wanted to save the world by going against its very own standard. The worldly criterion is to pamper life with all sorts of embellishments, convenience, comfort, gratification, and pleasure. On a higher level, in Christian discipleship, to gain life means to spend it, like melting candle wax that gives light in the dark.

When some friends were beseeching a missionary to take things easier and not to work himself to death, he simply said: “It is better to burn out than to rust out.”

THE STANDARD OF JESUS

     

The worldly archetype of a great person is he who manipulates and controls others, wielding such great power and influence. During the time of Christ, the great men were the Emperor who was thought to be a god, the Roman governor with his retinue of slaves, and the Roman senators with their legislative powers. The world  venerated them as invincible, probably even as immortal.

Today, in capital centers all over the globe, the world continues to assess an individual’s greatness by the number of rank and file he controls, by his intellectual and academic achievements, by the number of working committees he heads, the number of boards he chairs, or by the size of his bank accounts and credit lines. Using our blessed Lord’s standards, however, these things count as nothing. They shrink into oblivion. They are definitely irrelevant and insignificant.

Jesus is the greatest prophet, way above all others before Him. Those who came before Him were the messengers of God, and for being God’s servants, no one could deny them honor. Jesus, however, was not only the Messenger but also God’s Message, the Word made Flesh (Jn. 1:1-18). He is greater than Abraham, Moses, Elijah, David, and St. John the Baptist combined. In fact, He was and will always be the greatest, because He is the Second Person of the Blessed Trinity, true God from true God. But Jesus came to serve.

SIMPLICITY OF THE MASTER

God is present when two or three are gathered together in His Name (Matthew l8:20). He is present when the family headed by the father prays the grace before and after every meal.

Our Lord is present in the hungry, thirsty, naked_, imprisoned, homeless, children in conflict with the law. Jesus assures us of His unique presence in them when He said: “As often as you did it for one of my least brothers, you did it for Me” (Matthew 25:40).

Big grace simple acts

Finally, He is undoubtedly present in  the power of forgiveness through the sacrament of reconciliation, the cleansing water of baptism, in the marriage vows of two people in love and, most specially, in the consecrated Bread in the Holy Eucharist.

If you so desire to meet God, to feel His Presence and talk to Him in a most intimate way, go to the Blessed Sacrament, for He is there ever alive and always waiting. Such is our Catholic Faith in the ordinariness of his Teacher.

Oil, water and wine, bread

For us, God is ever present in the ordinary: In the oil, water and wine, bread, in fellowship, in the poor, in the little and simple events of our lives, in the human signs (we call Sacraments and sacramentals).

When our Lord began His public ministry He chose twelve ordinary men as companions and friends, with no impressive doctorates, flashy titles, ounce of influence, dazzling fanfare, chairmanship in a board, no fat bank accounts.

In choosing twelve ordinary men, Jesus was telling the ever-glamorous world: Give me a few ordinary men and I will change the face of the earth. I have chosen the weak to shame the strong, I have chosen the simple to shame the great (1 Corinthians 1:27-28).

           

Ordinariness is simplicity. A Christian who strives to live a humble life in the midst of greatness and keepa a low profile in the midst of power follows the footsteps of the Master.

A decision, a choice

Today, ordinariness is a decision, a choice to eat simple food, mindful of the millions who go to bed with empty stomachs. It means a preference to don a simple dress or clothing, remembering the naked and the street children. It means a deliberate effort to celebrate great occasions like birthdays, anniversaries, weddings or fiestas sans the ostentation and tendency to splurge. Ordinariness could translate to a show of courageous willingness to face and take on even the most menial of jobs, simplest of tasks or lowliest of works—following the footsteps of Jesus who was known to be the son of a carpenter.

During his fateful exile in Saint Helena, Napoleon, reminded of his former grandeur, compared his ambitious reign with that of Christ’s reign: “In the past I have stirred thousands upon thousands who died for me, but it was with my presence, my gaze, my voice. One word from me was sufficient to compel them all. But now here in Saint Helena, who will fight for me? Who is going to war to conquer kingdoms for me? What a difference between my misery and Christ’s reign that is praised, loved, and adored the world over till the end of time, His kingdom that was conquered by meekness, simplicity, and humility.”

Ordinariness conquers.