The Intention Determines Morality

How should a certain fund be spent? Is it determined by how best it will be used? Does it depend on the decision of the one holding it? It would not be wise to immediately spend it no matter how good is the purpose. There is a need to know the history of the fund. Why was it generated? What was the intention of the donor? The intention of the donor takes priority. There maybe more noble intentions other than the original, but, morality requires to respect, above all else, the intention. It is really hard to find an exception to this. Maybe, when one is endangered of falling to sin or committing an evil, it may prudently and carefully be utilized even for the time being. In any case, it is always safe to first determine the intention before it would be used.

Celebrating The Resurrection Every Sunday

Easter is the mother of all Sundays. It was made obligatory to make every Christian remember and celebrate the Resurrection. We are Resurrection Christians. Our belief rests on it. We live because we expect to continue living even after death. The Sunday liturgy helps us be aware of this belief. The Eucharist that we celebrate helps us to remember what the Lord Jesus had done. It reminds us of the saving action of God in His Son.It is more than enough that we spent six days of our life working and recreating. One day, the Sunday, is being asked to be spent reflecting and celebrating the Resurrection.

There are really a lot of ways we can celebrate Resurrection on a Sunday. Our creativity is being summoned to make that day meaningful and fruitful. Worship as a family. Reflect and share together on the feast, liturgy, homily or other parts of the mass that touched you. Gather your graces and disgraces the past week. Thank God for all the graces and ask forgiveness for the disgraces. Praise God for the good acts and apostolates you had done the past six days and ask for support and inspiration for the coming challenges. These are some of the meaningful things we can do to celebrate the mass in the spirit of the Resurrection. Let every Sunday be a part of our week. Let us anticipate it with enthusiasm. Never miss it! If we truly believe that it is a continuation of the death of the Lord on the cross and from it flows the graces of salvation and the fruit of the Resurrection, then, it is a must and non-negotiable. In fact, one need not be reminded of or forced into it. Salvation can not be attained without it!

The Resurrection: A Matter Of Faith

Proof? Who needs it? With the Resurrection, proof is not necessary. As long as you believe, no proof is needed. In the first place, it cannot be proven. NOBODY saw the Lord actually Resurrecting! One would die witnessing it. The events and and situations given in the bible (empty tomb, many appearances of Jesus to the apostles) are signs that give us reasons to believe that the Lord resurrected. But our belief in it does not rest on the empty tomb nor in the appearances. The testimony of the apostles (specially Paul and John) are enough for me to believe in it. John puts it very well in his first letter when he said that what he had written are what he had seen, heard and experienced during the lifetime of the Lord.

On the natural level, we can identify "signs" of life eternal and therefore, the Resurrection. Seeds needing to die before it springs to new life, grow, and bear fruit; butterflies emerging from a cocoon; trees which are almost dead on a certain season and becomes fully alive and blossoming on another season; and the experience of the supernatural.

Life is too precious to just disappear and lead to nothing. God, who is life, is a God of the living. Life, therefore, would never cease. It just changes!

Why I Belong To The Christian Faith

Today we celebrate Easter Sunday. The Lord is Risen! Alleluia! The Lord Jesus who is God, became one like us. He also shared our death. He died in obedience to the Father. And then, He Resurrected from the dead! Tell me, what religion, movement or group had a founder who lived, died, and Resurrected? Many founders and great persons in the history of the world had lived lives that were to be emulated. There were men and women who had given the world words that were instrumental in the development of life. There were men and women who had given their lives for the truth. But nobody had risen from the dead like the God of the Christian faith! The Lord Jesus had defeated death. The Lord Jesus gave death to death. The Resurrection had proven that love is stronger than death. The resurrection is the reason for being. The resurrection is the meaning of everything especially the sufferings and challenges of life. Only because of the resurrection do we go on living and enduring everything that life gives.

As far as I can remember, the Christian faith in general and the Catholic faith in particular, had already been attacked from all angles. All I can say is that, for all the weaknesses, frailties, sinfulness, and defects of the faith, the truth of the Resurrection gives me the reason to persist, move on, and journey through life towards the destiny Jesus had merited for me. Because Jesus rose from the dead, I too will rise from the dead to a new life with God. I believe that my faith is enough for me to bear everything because of the promise of Resurrection.

How about you? Why do you believe? Why do you belong to your faith?

It Is A Holy Week

The roads in Metro Manila are almost empty. There are few people around. The city appears abandoned. It is Holy Week. The most important week for every Catholic every year. It is a week of witnessing and appreciation of what God had done for us. The passion, death, and resurrection of Jesus is celebrated. It is the climax of Catholic worship. Every Catholic is expected to participate and celebrate. But, save for some devotees, many are not really in the city. Many took advantage of the long "vacation" offered by offices and institutions supposed to be to give every Catholic a time to reflect and celebrate his faith. Beaches, rest houses, hotels, vacation places welcome and cater to those who would spend their "vacation" for games, rest, relaxation, dinners, and other activities to while the time. It is really unfortunate that of all the vacations given, the Holy Week was chosen thereby sacrificing that great opportunity to commune with God. Gone were those days when all Catholics would respect and celebrate the Holy event. Secularism seems to have dominated many of the faithful. Worse is that they seem to be not feeling guilty about it. They believe it is OK. Maybe they had seen it from their parents or from others who had given them a different reason for the season. But one only had to see the meaning and importance of this week to realize and appreciate what is at stake. It is easy to see that being Catholic is to be involved and to participate in all the Holy Week celebrations. It is the peak, acme, climax, and ultimate of Christian worship. There is no excuse in being a part of it, much more in not celebrating it.

It was not like that before. Then, people were more sincere in the participation and celebration of the Holy Week activities. The celebrations were more solemn not only in churches, but also in homes and in the streets. Everyone cooperates; the mass media (radio stations, television stations, newspapers), transport groups, stores, restaurants, amusement centers and most businesses except those which must operate twenty-four hours like hospitals, jails, police stations, fire stations etc. Now, it is different. Good if the internal disposition is retained. I hope. I pray. Then, at least, we had not lost the best and the heart of the celebration. In spite of all the distractions, we remain to be contemplatives in action.