WORTHY RECEPTION OF THE SACRAMENTS

            Christian discipleship is none other than what St Paul describes as putting off the old man of Adam and sin, and putting on the new man, Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 15:21-22, Rom. 13:14). The expression “putting on the new man” denotes living in the state of grace and the basic means to do so is the worthy reception of the Sacraments. 

Thus the Vatican Council II recommends “It is therefore of the greatest importance that the faithful should easily understand the sacramental signs, and should eagerly frequent those Sacraments which were instituted to nourish the Christian life” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, n.52).

            The Seven Sacraments, far above the ancient rites and rituals of the Jewish Law, are symbols of grace of the New Testament that can reenact a historic event, that of the Paschal Mystery. We proclaim the Paschal Mystery as the event that saves us from sin and satan when we sing after the Consecration: “Christ has died, Christ has risen, Christ will come again. “The Sacraments actually represents the past, the present and the future of our salvation, and it actually effects what it proclaims.

Sacred symbols

            The Seven Sacraments are representations of Jesus Christ, acts or deeds that He established, the essence of which constitutes the earthly reality of its sublime transformation into a life of grace. These “sacred symbols,” as St Augustine puts it (De civitate Dei), can make us holy in the absolute sense. Translating this into something more concrete, when a disciple worthily receives the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist in the sign of consecrated bread, he actually receives not the substance of bread the way it appears, but the Substance of the Master in the form of bread. And the disciple is sanctified as he receives Him.

Baptism

            The Sacrament of Baptism is another concrete example. It is the fulfillment of John the Baptist’s ministry (Mk. L2-8). The signs take on the form of ordinary water which is poured over the head of the child with the words: “I baptize you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” Before these signs were spoken and performed, the child was yet a pagan, a child of darkness, not of the Light.

            At the very instant when the sacred signs were executed and pronounced, the child became a child of God, a brother of our Lord Jesus Christ, a Christian disciple with the original sin symbolically and actually washed away (Gal. 3:27). He gets to participate and involve Himself in the priesthood, prophetic and kingly functions of Christ.

            In one of the missions, an American Indian made the following proclamation after his Baptism: “I am now a child of God. You, too, are a child of God. We have only one Father in heaven (pointing his finger up). Hence, you are my brother (and he danced around with his drum). Indeed, we all are brothers and sisters in Christ!” Yes, “we are God’s children”, exclaims St. Paul, “But if we are children, we are heirs as well; heirs of God, heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:16-17). St. Leo the Pope was more emphatic:

“Remember your dignity, O Christian. You are a participant in the divine nature. Do not go back to the despicableness of your former condition.”

Matrimony

            Grace is also discharged by God’s ordained ministers through the Sacrament of Matrimony. Can you imagine the great dignity it brings to a man and a woman bonded together in love? This sacrament establishes an indissoluble, uniting, force that gives them the grace to love each other in a holy manner.

            The sexual act, sometimes considered as a shameful biological function, is elevated into sacred performance by the married couple, symbolically fulfilling their becoming one. As. they consummate the union in accordance to God’s Will, they sanctify each other precisely by doing the act. It is our Christian belief that sex inside of Matrimony is a blessing, just as sex outside of marriage is a curse.

            Hence, the most intimate loving expression created and designed by God is made holy in Christian marriage. Finally, the sacramental grace of Matrimony can help husband and wife to fulfill the duties of their marital state — that of assuming the role of Christian parents.

Priest as poor instrument

            Since the Sacraments are deeds and acts decreed by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, they communicate grace ex opere operato, that is, by virtue of their own power. Thus, for instance, the Sacrifice of the Mass can discharge and carry out the grace of our salvation even if the priest celebrating it is a great sinner. No one can prevent God from using a poor instrument such as a priest in all his weaknesses, since God’s saving grace is stronger than the weakness of His instrument.

             The minister’s state of unworthiness has no influence on the fulfillment of the sacrament as long as the recipients are well disposed to receive the grace. Sanctifying grace, the essence by which we have become disciples, is present and alive in us who worthily receive the Sacraments.

            Hence, parishioners can witness the enduring desire of every priest to be worthy of the sacraments by striving to live a holy life.

DOERS OF THE FAITH

Without passing judgment, some Catholics are no longer practicing their faith, while others have become a scandal to the community. Others are products of a broken home like a decayed fruit hanging off a decayed tree. The Greeks, the Romans, and the Jews used the idea that a tree is to be judged by its fruit. Epictetus once said: “How can a vine grow not like a vine but like an olive, or how can an olive grow not like an olive but like a vine” (Discourses 2:20).

Our Blessed Lord said: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit. Every tree is known by its own fruit” (Luke 6:43-44). A person is inevitably known by his actions. A Christian without good acts is a Christian who pays lip-service (Mt. 15:8); in other words, a useless Christian.

Pope John Paul II once publicly begged forgiveness for the crimes and sins committed by those who profess to be Catholics.

I would like to ask the question: How did the early Christians learn the basic principles and tenets of Christianity? There were few manuscripts then and printing press was not yet invented. There were neither radios nor televisions, neither big Cathedrals nor podiums, neither MP4 Players nor computers. How then did the early Christians learn genuine Christian manners, Christian words, thoughts, and behavior?

Well, they heard how the disciples of Jesus spoke and they saw how the Apostles acted. The Apostles were telling the first Christians “follow the things that we do, speak the way we have spoken to you” (1 Thes.1:6, 1 Cor. 4:16).

“Imitate us as we imitate Christ” (1 Cor.11:1). “Learn from everything we do and say.”

The first Christians were doers of the Faith. They taught by their very lives and acts, and thousands were converted (Acts 2: 42-47). Pagans were edified watching their individual and collective acts. The first Christians were known by their example, their witnessing, their fellowship—which were so powerful to behold (Acts 11: 19-26).

St. John the Baptist exhorted the crowd on the demands of the Faith. He stressed that living the Faith must be concrete and not made up of empty words. In answer to the question “What ought we to do?” his reply was pointed and action-oriented: “Whoever has two cloaks should share with the person who has none And whoever has food should do likewise.”

To the tax collectors he said “Stop collecting more than what is prescribed.” Likewise, to the soldiers he said “Do not practice extortion, do not falsely accuse anyone, and be satisfied with your wages” (Lk. 3:10-14).

Our Christian Faith demands a corresponding Christian response from everyone (James 11:9- 25). We have to be doers of our Faith. The Word of God can be made active and alive if we want to, and be made operational in our lives.

Christian disciples are enjoined to conduct ourselves in accordance to the Life, Word, and example of our dear Lord when He was “made Flesh.”

The only authority that speaks with such impact and power, the only authority that is respected by all is the authority of witnessing through action and good example. The only way to experience being Church in the new millennium is to profess the Faith by our practices. The time is now. Christian disciples, let us show the world that we are followers of Christ.

WHAT IS THE MISSION OF A CHRISTIAN?

In the Old Testament, God spoke to Jeremiah: “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I dedicated you, a prophet to the nations I appointed you” (Jer. 1:5).

In the New Testament, St. John the Baptist told the world about his mission: “I am the voice of one crying out in the desert, make straight the way of the Lord” (John 1:23). And preaching for repentance and conversion from evil ways he did!

The Greek word for “to consecrate” is hagiazen, which is from the adjective hagios, meaning “holy and separated.” Hagiazen means to be set apart for a mission.

Every Christian disciple is a consecrated person and the consecrated person means someone who is singled out for a mission. Jesus prayed to the Father: “Consecrate them in the truth. As you sent me into the world, so I send them into the world” (John 17:17-18).

By virtue of Baptism, we have become priests, prophets, and shepherds to others. By virtue of Confirmation, we are called to become Christ’s witnesses to the world. Accordingly, it is pathetic for a Christian disciple to remain idle and unproductive in this crazy world.

Woe to us if we fail to implement the change we want to see, if we fail to do what needs to be done and fail to make the world a better place. “You want evil to spread, let the good men and women among you do nothing,” writes the British statesman Edmund Burke.

           

But why necessarily set out on a mission? Pessimists say there is no hope because the world is intrinsically evil. Efforts are futile because men are so corrupted and given to the flesh they cannot be changed. It is said that St John Maria Vianney, the Cure d’ Ars, coming back to the rectory after having finished his heavy pastoral duties (sixteen hours of hearing confessions among others) was met by a close friend, a good Catholic, was told: “Your unselfish work is useless. The world cannot be changed.”

The saint replied: “With that coming from you, it is necessary to intensify my pastoral work even more.”           

A Christian is summoned by Jesus to be the salt of the earth and light of the world (Mt. 5:14). Indeed, we must glow in the dark valley of the world and in the shadow of death of worldliness just as the lighthouse serves as guide for the ship lost in a stormy night.

Our mission is not a call to accomplish the “mission impossible” or the “impossible dream.” An Arab proverb says that “if you cannot be a Star in the sky, then at least be a candle in the house. If you don’t’ have a large net to convert a multitude of pagans, use a hook. If you don’t have a harvest tractor, use a sickle”.

The intention for this sense of mission, which is very much connected to volunteerism, is a pure willingness to do everything for God’s glory and human development—and nothing more.

A Christian may satisfy some conditions to enable him to accomplish his mission. First, it is imperative to remain prayerful. No mission can be done without first communicating with God in fervent prayer. A profound interior relationship with God is a prerequisite to do exterior services for others. The man for others must first be a man of God. No disciple must dare then to accomplish a mission if it does not stem from the inspiration of God Who is within.

The second special ingredient is the practice of humility. Sharing in the Christian mission entails a lot of hard work, which most cases, is deprived of corresponding immediate consolation in sight. To accomplish a mission then is to reject the temptation of working and searching for an outright, visible sign of success. We prepare the soil, plant the seed, and water the seedling. But it is God who causes the growth (1 Cor. 3:7). Then, others (our co workers in God’s field) may do the harvesting. A humble disposition is a sign of genuine discipleship in the vineyard of the Lord.

The third necessary condition refers to obedience to the bishop of the diocese, to the Parish Priest. What would happen to the vision-mission of the Church if all apostolic persons and volunteers are hard-headed and noncompliant, preferring to do things their own way? Where will the mission go if each volunteer does what he likes and likes what he does?

Let us learn from St. Peter and see what holy obedience can do. The whole night the disciples at Lake Genesareth labored in vain and caught no fish but, at the word of Jesus, St. Peter obeyed and once again lowered his net. And it was filled with “a great number of fishes” (Lk 5:5-6). For the Christian who values the virtue of obedience, the miraculous catch does continue to happen everyday.

SERMON ON THE MOUNT

UNIQUENESS OF HIS TEACHINGS

The Ten Commandments are the minimum requirements and anyone who has fulfilled all of them is nothing but a good Jew, a good citizen of the Jewish society. It seems that the New Testament spirituality, which is the same as the Gospel, demands more from a Christian disciple.

In the Gospel, the Sermon on the Mount is quite difficult to follow but it is where we can encounter the fundamentals of Christian discipleship and the uniqueness of the Master’s teachings. A follower who wants to evaluate, assess, or test his awareness of Christian living, in addition to knowing how he is as a person and professional, is compelled to read the Gospel of Matthew, chapters 5 to 7, where the Sermon on the Mount can be found.

The more I read the passage, the more I am convinced that the Sermon on the Mount contains the official but shocking doctrine of Jesus. It is a catechetical summary of the mind of the Teacher, an opening of His heart to the inner circle, to his closest friends. Jesus spoke with such power that it was written of the listeners: Jesus finished these words, the crowds were astonished at His teaching, for He taught them as one having authority, and not as their Scribes” (Matthew 7:29).

Jesus said, “You have heard... You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, ‘Raca’ (‘good for nothing’) will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna” (Mt. 5:21-22). He seems to tell me that the Old Testament condemns actual murder, while Christian discipleship already condemns mere anger in one’s heart and in one’s lips. If I am serious to follow Jesus, I really have to be careful and loving when reprimanding or correcting a subordinate or a kasambahay.

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery’. But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman with lust has already committed adultery with her in his heart. If your right eye causes you to sin, tear it out and throw it away…  And if your right hand causes you to sin, cut it off and throw it. It is away better for you to lose one of your members than to have your whole body go into Gehenna” (Mt. 5:27-30). The Old Testament forbids the act of adultery, while Jesus forbids the inordinate use of our senses to stimulate our carnal desire.

GOLDEN RULE

Even the formulation of the Golden Rule of Jesus is different, which is in the positive form. The Jews have the Golden Role in the negative form. The Book of Tobit commands: “Do to no one what you yourself dislike” (Tobit 4:15a). This was quoted by the Jewish Rabbi Hillel while giving instruction to a Jewish convert, “What is hateful to yourself, do to no other.”

Among the Orientals, it was Confucius who taught the Golden Rule as one of the basic principles of life, but also in the negative form, “Do not do unto others what you do not want others do unto you.”

When wondering why Jesus taught the Golden Rule in the positive form, it occurs to be that negative form involves nothing more than NOT DOING or SIMPLY REFUSING TO DO certain things. It is never difficult not to do things. That we refrain from doing injury to anyone else is not something special. One can forever restrain himself from doing injury to others by mere inaction on one’s part.     

In comparison, it is unique to perform a positive act and to add something constructive to what is lacking. It takes great effort to open your window and share food or money to the beggars when the traffic light is red. It is hard to offer time and muscles for Gawad Kalinga to build a little house for the homeless. It appears that the Golden Rule in the positive form is superior than the ones formulated in the negative form. “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you” (Mt. 7:12).

BE GENTLE AND LEARN TO FORGIVE

Again, the uniqueness of the Christian teachings established during our Lord’s ministry here on earth stands out when compared with the “tit for tat” principles of the Old Testament. It is written in the Book of Exodus: “But if injury ensues, you shall give life for life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, stripe for stripe (Ex 21:23-25).

The Book of Leviticus (chapter 24, verse 19) states: “Anyone who inflicts an injury on his neighbor shall receive the same in return. Limb for limb, eye for eye, tooth for tooth! The same injury that a man gives another shall be inflicted on him in return.”

The “eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth” or “tit for tat” principle is taken from the LEX TALIONIS of the code attributed to Hammurabi who reigned in Babylon from 2285-2242 B.C. The axiom sends off a clear signal: if a man has inflicted an injury on any person, an equivalent injury shall be inflicted upon him. The impression given is that LEX TALIONIS sounds similar to “the law of the jungle” which is savage and vindictive. In truth, however, it is a law that limits vengeance and hatred.

In the earliest days vendetta was characteristics of tribal societies, and it was dreadfully disproportionate. For instance, if a man of one tribe was injured, all members of that tribe geared up and went off to take vengeance, most likely_, on all members of the tribe of the man who committed the injury. In contrast TALIONIS then became the set standard law of just proportion. It lays down the principle that only the man who committed the injury must be punished and the punishment must be no more than the equivalent of the injury he has inflicted—hence, the notion ‘an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.”

When our Blessed Lord came, He said: “You heard that it was said, ‘an eye for an eye, ‘a tooth for a tooth.’ But I say to you, offer no resistance to evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, offer the other one to him as well. You have heard it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate enemy’. But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you” (Mt 5: 38-48).

In effect, what Jesus is telling us now is that vendetta or retaliation, even the most proportionate one, has no place in our Christian discipleship. Our Lord’s command even goes as far as for us disciples to love our enemies.

It may be well to know that Jesus never asked us to love our enemies in the same manner and in the same degree that we love our dearest ones. To love with the love of philia is to love in the natural manner, to shower our loved ones with hugs and kisses. To love with the love of agape is to love in the supernatural manner, of which it is not necessary to demonstrate one’s love. With agape, in a supernatural way, we love our enemies. Hence the song goes “Oh, I love you with the love of the Lord… “

           

But why do we have to love our enemies, one is bound to ask? It can only be because God loves both the saints and the sinners, that’s why. He sends the rain and lets sun shine upon the just and the unjust. And if we are God’s children_, we ought to strive to do what He does, to pattern our attitude and conduct with His. Jesus, the Lamb of God, in the mystery of the Incarnation, took upon Himself the sins of the world (Is 53:6b, Jn. 1:29).

He searched for the lost sheep. He came to heal the sick and not the self-righteous (Mt. 9:12-13). He forgave Matthew, Mary Magdalene, the adulterous woman, and all who believed (Mt 9:9-13, Jn. 8:1-11). His first words when He was hanged upon the saving tree were: “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do” (Lk. 23: 34).

           

The uniqueness of Our Lord’s teaching lies here: to forgive as God forgives, to love as God loves, embracing all, and excluding no one.