Tag: Mercy

Ready & Willing

“While being on mission, it’s such a blessing to hear mass in different parishes, said by different priests.  There’s beauty in variety yet amidst the many differences, the message hits home the same way. ” — myself

Yesterday our gospel was about the Prodigal Son; a fan favourite parable!  It talks of mercy, of forgiveness, of being lost, of going ‘home’, of love and of acceptance. As the priest recounted the message behind the gospel and reminded us of our Lord’s extreme love for us… it brought to mind the words ready & willing.

Both the father and the son exemplified the meanings for both of those words during both the pre- and post-departure.  Pre-departure: The son seemed to have made up his mind and was ready to ask for half of his share.  Most people wouldn’t dare ask such a lofty question, yet he was willing enough to bring his concern before his father.  Upon hearing the son’s request, and I’m sure against his better judgement, the father was ready to hand over the son’s share of the land & earnings and willingly did so.  I say willingly because there was no catch, there was no bargain, there was no stipulation.  Post-departure: After he gambled and spent everything that was given to him, the son came to a point where he realized he didn’t have to live that life because his father was wealthy and had more than enough provisions.  At some point, we can assume that the son had to struggle with setting his pride aside to even think of going back to the father he turned away from.  In that process he became ready & willing to seek out his father and admit his faults.  The father, I like to believe, was always ready and willing for his son’s return.  When his son came home he was more than ready and willing to love him, accept him, and forgive him.

Both men showed their readiness and willingness to one another.  Both seemed secure enough in their relationship to be able act in readiness and willingness with whatever they set their hearts to.  This is what makes this parable so beautiful and so highly applicable to our everyday lives.

If we were to put ourselves in this parable, God will always play the role of the Father.  Always ready and willing to love us, accept us, forgive us and embrace us.  He will always celebrate our return to him.  He will always forget all transgressions we’ve committed against Him.  He will always be ready and willing to love us through both our best and worst.  That’s how much worth he places on each of us.  We, on the other hand, quickly relate to the character of the son.  We get caught up with what the world deems as necessary, we take our claims to our Father and demand something, as though we’re entitled.  Instead of handling things with care, we waste them on cheap flings and temporary highs only to find ourselves exhausted, used up and unfulfilled.  But like the son, we need to acknowledge our own weaknesses and be willing to turn back to our Father, our Lord.

It isn’t always about How God is ready and willing to love us, that’s a given!  It’s more about how ready and willing we are to go back to him, to ask for forgiveness, to plead for mercy.  How ready and willing are we to die to ourselves and seek the life that our Father in Heaven wants to adorn us with?  How ready and willing are we to pick up our crosses and walk with Him?  How ready and willing are we to fully trust that whatever He has in store for us is exactly what we need; more than we could have ever dreamed to ask or hope for?

Like the Father in the parable, our God is slow to anger and quick to love.  He has more than enough provisions to ensure us a life of fulfillment and true happiness in Him.  He will always toil in preparation for our return to Him, and when we do return, not only will we be welcomed with open arms but a celebration will be thrown, for one of His children, one of His lost sheep has found it’s way back home.

Father, May we listen to your still small voice and be guided back to your side.  Mama Mary, please pray for our souls and for the souls whom have no one to pray for them.

 

Realistically

I met a brother during my recent trip to LA last month. I gave a talk for CFC-Youth San Diego and I was introduced to this joyful brother named Jayson Adams. Jayson is your typical CFC-Youth, happily spending his summer hanging out with his friends and serving the Lord through CFC-Youth. However, one thing that Jayson experiences that we don’t is that he has two rare forms of cancer. Not one, but two.

Now, I’m known to be critical (at times hyper-critical) of the things I do see and experience whether it be something positive or negative. I would still see something negative from something that is really positive. But the way Jayson lives his life is something that really slaps me in the face – yes a slap (or two, three, and then some) in the face of a missionary.

From a blog by his family of his journey – http://walkwithjayson.blogspot.com.au/ – Jayson shares from a recent Youth Camp a question that we might and most probably ask if we were in his situation.

He asked the question why.

But he asks something more. He asks why was he surviving?

Now when I face problems whether it be the big problems in life or the #firstworldproblems, that should never be a problem in the first place, I would usually make a big deal out of it and act as if the world would end if it wasn’t resolved quickly. At times be quick to announce that indeed #thestruggleisreal.

However, Jayson faces a real life-threatening problem, and asks for the source, of him still being able to enjoy the graces and blessings in his life. He focuses on God’s love. As I reflect on this, his point of view is not optimism but rather a realistic point of view. Allow me to explain.

A quick search of optimism on google yields this definition “hopefulness and confidence about the future or the successful outcome of something.” It based on a possibility of something positive in the future. Totally not the case for Jayson.

To be Christian is to believe, to experience, and to be transformed by the Love of God that is constantly and unconditionally at work in our lives. Jayson sees this perfectly in his own “struggle”. His is grounded, raised and is in fact very much living in the reality of God, Who is Love.

If I am then to be a Christian – the root of my missionary call – then I should be realistically looking and living in His love. His love gives meaning and purpose to my life. Ergo, I should see grace and blessings abound even amidst the trials and tribulations.

Yes, easier said than done. But at least knowing this, is a step in the right direction.

The thought of my pain, my homelessness, is bitter poison. I think of it constantly, and my spirit is depressed. Yet hope returns when I remember this one thing: The Lord’s unfailing love and mercy still continue. Fresh as the morning, as sure as the sunrise. The Lord is all I have, and so in Him I put my hope. – Lamentations 3:19-24

Lord, allow me to see everything for what it is – a product of your Love.

St. Jude Thaddeus, pray for Jayson Adams. Amen.

**This reflection is also posted on my personal blog at kevinmuico.com

Red!

I’ve always looked forward to Eucharistic Celebrations where in the priest wears red vestments. When I was still in university, I looked forward to the Holy Spirit mass at the start of the school year because all the jesuit priests would be wearing their red vestments. To me it breathed life to a rather nerve wracking start of school.

It wasn’t until a few months ago that I read a book, that red vestments are also worn during the celebration of the feast day of saints who were martyrs. So every time a feast of a famous saint who died a martyr would come up, I would try to make it to mass.

Yesterday however, I was tired and really feeling a bit under the weather. The past month has been non-stop in terms of mission and travel, and frankly I just needed to rest my weary body. I was kind of lazy in going to Church because I already had a long day, and I had another meeting that night. But by the grace of the Lord, we were given a ride going to Church. So we were given a chance to go to adoration first before we went to mass.

During the mass however, I experienced something I’ve never experienced before. The moment I saw the red vestments of the priest during the procession, I felt that my heart was being crushed and I was overcome with sadness and grief. And throughout the mass, I was wondering why it was so.

I wanted to cry, but no tears came, the grief came from within. A sadness that could not be quenched. I already knew that it was the Feast of St. John the Baptist because of my prayer time earlier in the morning, but hearing the gospel acclamation of the beheading of St. John – it was as if I felt the hearts of those closest to him, his friends, his family, even the heart of Christ when they all heard the news of his death.

 

I even was asking the Lord during the whole time of why St. John the Baptist, and all the other martyrs (including the two Filipino saints, Lorenzo Ruiz and Pedro Calungsod) had to die if they followed Christ. It just did not make sense. Isn’t following the life of Christ supposed to bring peace, hope, and joy – not suffering?

It was only during the Eucharistic Prayer when the priest said:

Take this, all of you, and drink from it; for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant; which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.  

That the pain in my heart was eased and I felt embraced by Christ himself. If Christ has to bleed for us, so that we may come to know Him. It is also by the blood we bleed out that Christ will be known in us.

How many times have we chosen to stay silent when we needed to speak out? How many times have we chosen to not do anything when action was needed? How many times have we bled for Christ?

Lord, may the blood You spilt wash away the sins of the world and bring to life, us, who are dead and dying. Amen.

Saint John the Baptist, pray for us.

Our Resurrection

It’s amazing how much pride can make us blind, deaf, and paralyzed. Causes us to sin gravely, die spiritually, and we become like one of the carcasses in the valley of dry bones (Ez 37). However, there is Good News: God is merciful and He loves us, He forgives us, and through the Sacrament of Confession, we are resurrected and brought back to life. He makes all things new. Praise God!

Seventy Times Seven

“Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus said to him, “I do not say to you seven times, but seventy times seven.

Mt. 18:21

Jesus basically meant always forgive your neighbour and show mercy because our Heavenly Father always forgives and shows mercy. Jesus then told a story of a king who decided to settle accounts with his servants. Basically, a servant owed the king 10,000 talents, which was at that time worth a lifetime of wages. The servant fell down and begged his master to be patient and assured him that he will pay him back in full. Moved by compassion, the master let him go and forgave him the loan. He let the servant go free without having to owe anything anymore! Completely forgiven. Debt forgotten. The servant then went out and met one of his fellow servants who owed him a much smaller amount, just a days worth of wages. He seized him and started to choke and demand that he be paid back. His fellow servant fell to his knees and begged him to be patient and assured he will pay back in full, but the man refused. Instead, he had him put in prison until he paid back what he owed! When the king found out what the servant had done he was outraged that the servant didn’t show the same mercy he showed him. The king handed him over to the torturers until he paid back the entire debt of 10,000 talents. Jesus ends his story by stating, “so will my Heavenly Father do to you, unless each of you forgives your brother from your heart.”

Wow! How disturbing this parable is to those with hardened hearts! We are like the servant who stands before God so sinful and unworthy. We are like the servant who has a lifetime of debt, and each of us begging for His mercy. The beautiful truth is that our Heavenly Father does indeed forgive us our debt in it’s entirety and forgets what we owe. He forgets our sins. However, the condition is that we must forgive those who sin against us entirely and forget their sins if we want our Heavenly Father to do the same for us. When we harbour ill intentions toward others and are unforgiving toward our neighbour, we practically throw ourselves in the dungeon to be tortured. There’s nothing like the torture of a hardened, unforgiving heart. The scary thing is that if we decide to not forgive our neighbour and decide to remember his sins against us, so will our Heavenly Father when we are judged. The consequence is eternal damnation, eternity of suffering in the prison we put ourselves in. To decide not to forgive someone, especially if they practically beg for forgiveness, is outrageous when we ourselves beg God for His forgiveness.

Forgiveness is FREE. The only thing to be earned again is TRUST if that was lost. Forgiveness is DIVINE, thus we must rely on God’s grace and not our own understanding. Most of the time to forgive is unthinkable and might seem impossible. It is definitely impossible if we do not realize the log in our own eyes and can only see the speck in our neighbour’s eye.

The truth is that no one can sin against us more than we have sinned against God, and no one can forgive and forget unless we realize that God has forgiven and forgotten.

If we are finding it hard to forgive someone we must check ourselves before God. We must seek his forgiveness in Confession, then show the same mercy to our neighbour to truly be right with God again.

Lord, have mercy on us. Forgive us as we forgive those who trespass against us. Amen.