Christian love vs/and Valentine love

Love is the craze of February, especially of February 14. So we see red hearts everywhere, especially in malls. Love is a much used, and at the same time, mis-used word. People use it often but it can have different meanings for different people. For some “love” is equivalent to “like”, as for example, “I love ice cream” to mean “I like ice cream.” So “I love” can just mean “I like you.” For others, love has a stronger meaning. It involves a lot of emotion and sentimentality. This is the love that people refer to on Valentine’s Day. It is romantic love. Ika nga: kinikilig sa pag-ibig.

Christianity is very much connected to love because of our understanding that God is love which is clearly revealed in Scriptures.

 “Whoever is without love does not know God, for God is love.” (1 Jn. 4:8)

 “We have come to know and to believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love remains in God and God in him.” (1 Jn. 4:16)

So when we Christians speak of love we first of all speak of God’s love, because he is the source and model of love.

 “In this is love: not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as expiation for our sins.” (1 Jn. 4:10)

“We love because he first loved us.” (1 Jn. 4:19)

God loves by giving us his best, his only-begotten Son.

 “The way we came to know love was that he laid down his life for us; so we ought to lay down our lives for our brothers.” (1 Jn. 3:16)

The love of God is characterized by giving. So we too are enjoined to love by giving, even our very lives.

“No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends.” (Jn. 15:13)

Here comes the contrast between Christian love and love that many people associate with Valentine’s Day. Christian love is deeper because its source is God. It is more than just emotion or sentimentality which is temporary. Christian love is commitment, not for the good of the lover but for the good of the beloved, even to the point of sacrificing and denying oneself for the sake of the other. Thus the Christian image of love is Jesus Crucified or the Sacred Heart of Jesus – pierced and wounded heart yet burning with love.

But this is also the origin of Valentine love, because St. Valentine was a martyr. He showed his love by giving his life. It is just so unfortunate that this deep, self-sacrificing love has been narrowed down, and been very much commercialized in our world today.

For us Christians, February is not only the month of love but also the month of life. It is Pro-Life Month. Love and life are so much connected to each other. True love is life-giving. Life is nurtured in love. Love and life are brought together in the family. The family is formed by a man and woman so committed to each other in love that they tie their lives together permanently, whatever may come, health, sickness, poverty, or wealth. This love is open to life. So they are ready to receive the gift of children. The children that come about because of love grow in an atmosphere of love in the family. Therefore, to destroy and weaken the family is to attack life and love.

Can one celebrate love on Valentine’s Day and promote divorce, safe-sex unions, death penalty, abortion and contraception? All of these weaken families and destroy life. To love is to promote and defend life and family.

Do not be afraid but take care

The 2019 n-Corona Virus is now the concern all over the world. It has spread so fast. It was detected only last December in Wuhan China and already it has infected 17,480 people in 15 countries causing 362 deaths, the first death outside of China being in the Philippines. The numbers are rising every day. There is really a need to be concerned. If unstopped, the spread of viruses can kill thousands, and even millions of people, just like the so-called Spanish flu that killed more than 50 million in 1918 – more than the casualty of World War I.

To be concerned, however, does not mean to be afraid, much less to feel helpless. Proper, timely and true information is needed to avoid this. False news can cause panic on one hand, and it can also create complacency on the other hand. The situation is serious but steps are being taken to arrest its spread. Already there are notices on what to avoid and what to do, like avoiding unnecessary contacts with people, to wash one’s hands frequently, to wear face mask in risky places, etc. One important thing to do is to have a healthy lifestyle, like having enough sleep, eating healthy food, and proper exercise, because when one is healthy, one’s immunity to illness is strong.

In all these, the common good and the safety of the people should be the primary consideration of governments and institutions, not political expediencies, much less profit concerns. Therefore, true and timely information is to be given to all. This includes not only the extent of the spread and the death caused, but also those who have recovered and the cures that are being discovered. We need not only bad news but also good news, and the latter also abound.

It is important that information be given about the initiatives being taken to show solidarity and concern to all. It is very heartwarming that the Vatican State, small as it is, has sent more than 600,000 medical masks to the provinces of Hubei, Zhejiang and Fujian in China at the initiative of solidarity of the Pope’s Almoner, Cardinal Konrad Krajewski, the Vatican Pharmacy and the Missionary Center of the Chinese Church in Italy. Inspiring gestures such as these should multiply and create a global solidarity.

As Christians we all can contribute to this global solidarity also by our prayers. All through history we have seen that plagues have been stopped not only through medical means but also through prayers and great acts of charity. Wherever we are, in whatever state of life, in sickness and in health, we all can pray. Let us implore the Heavenly Power to protect us, to stem the spread of the disease, to cure the infected, to receive the souls of those who have died and to comfort the bereaved. This is a big resource that we Christians have – the power of solidarity in prayer and in charity.

So when we say “to take care,” we mean not only to take necessary precautions for our protection, but it also means to “give care,” that is, to care for the others. We can go out of our way to help others to spread proper information, to extend our hands – and our pockets – in charity, and to lift up our hearts in prayer.

Who will it be?

SINCE it was announced by no less than Pope Francis himself that Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle has been appointed Prefect of the Congregation on the Evangelization of Peoples on December 8, 2019, there has been a lot of speculations on who would be the next Archbishop of Manila. Yes, speculations, because we truly do not know. We know that positions in the Church are not by popularity, much less by our so-called “padrino system.” The Church has its own process of choosing bishops and appointing them to various positions. In fact a particular department in Rome, the Congregation on Bishops, is on top of this process. Consultations are conducted in the countries concerned by the apostolic nunciatures. These are equivalent to the embassies of the Holy See in many countries that have diplomatic relations with Rome. Consultation letters are sent to people who would know the candidates or who could nominate other candidates for the intended position.Certain bishops, priests, religious brothers and sisters and lay leaders are sent these consultation forms. Those consulted are bound under pontifical secret not to divulge the consultation letters and their responses to protect the good name of the candidates and the respondents alike. All the answers to these consultations are processed in the nunciature and then sent to the Congregation on Bishops in Rome which further analyzes and discerns on the results. These are then given to the Holy Father for his final choice. The person chosen is then informed and asked for his consent. It is only then that a date is set for the public announcement.

The process is long and tedious. So, it is useless to speculate on who would be the one chosen. Rather than speculate, the best thing to do is to pray that those consulted and those who do and process the consultations may be enlightened and guided by the Holy Spirit. Most of all, we pray for the Holy Father. The final responsibility rests on him, and to think that there are more than five thousand positions in the Church all over the world to be considered. This is no easy task, so we all need to pray for the Holy Father in this service that he does for the Church.

Positions in the Church are not promotions like in the secular world. They are modes of service. There is a constant temptation, even in the Church, of trying to get prominence to be the greatest. This is the careerism that people in the Church are strongly warned against. Even the apostles themselves were not exempted from this temptation. So we have this incident in the gospel.“An argument broke out among them (the apostles) about which of them should be regarded as the greatest. Jesus said to them, "The kings of the Gentiles lord it over them and those in authority over them are addressed as 'Benefactors;' but among you it shall not be so. Rather, let the greatest among you be as the youngest, and the leader as the servant. For who is greater: the one seated at table or the one who serves? Is it not the one seated at table? I am among you as the one who serves.” (Lk. 22:24-27).

The one who does service is the servant. The servant does not consider himself as entitled – to position, to recognition, to compensation. He just does what is asked of him and he is happy to oblige. Again Jesus has this to say through a parable: "Who among you would say to your servant who has just come in from plowing or tending sheep in the field, 'Come here immediately and take your place at table'?Would he not rather say to him, 'Prepare something for me to eat. Put on your apron and wait on me while I eat and drink. You may eat and drink when I am finished'? Is he grateful to that servant because he did what was commanded? So should it be with you. When you have done all you have been commanded, say, 'We are unprofitable servants; we have done what we were obliged to do.'" (Lk. 17:7-10)

Prayer for Christian Unity

Christian Unity is a great desire among the followers of Christ. This stems from the very prayer of Jesus himself at the Last Supper:  "I pray not only for them (his disciples), but also for those who will believe in me through their word, so that they may all be one, as you, Father, are in me and I in you, that they also may be in us, that the world may believe that you sent me. And I have given them the glory you gave me, so that they may be one, as we are one.” (Jn. 17:20-22) A deep sadness in the heart of Christians and a great scandal in the eyes of the world is the disunity among the followers of Christ who preached love.

The ecumenical movement of the past 150 years works for Christian unity. But the historical baggage is so heavy, the human heart is so wily, and the human mind is so uncanny, that people realize that Christian unity cannot come about without grace from God. Thus, the need for prayer.

Unity is first of all a work of grace. Christians recognize this, so most Christian groups have now agreed to pray together for Christian unity. This is the  Week of Prayer of Christian Unity which began in 1908, initiated by Fr. Paul Wattson, a co-founder of the Graymoor Franciscan Friars. It is done between  January 18 till January 25 in the Northern Hemisphere and between Ascension and Pentecost in the Southern Hemisphere.

In 1948, with the founding of the World Council of Churches (WCC) and its joining in this movement, the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity became increasingly recognised by different churches throughout the world. The WCC represents some 590 million people across the world in about 150 countries, including 520,000 local congregations. Its member churches include most of the Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Churches, the Anglican Communion, some Old Catholic churches, and numerous Protestant churches, including many Lutheran, Methodist, and Presbyterian and other Reformed, a sampling of united and independent churches, and some Pentecostal churches, such as the Baptist and Pentecostal.

It is a giant step in the ecumenical movement that so many Christian churches pray together in the same week for unity among them. Besides prayers, meetings and conferences are organized so that more people can realize the need for Christian unity, and different Christian groups can know each other better and have fellowship with one another. Common charitable works and community development projects are also done to bear witness to the others how Christians can work together to better the situation of the poor and the vulnerable in society.

The challenge for us Catholics is to participate in these activities. There is already a consciousness among Church leaders about the need for ecumenism but this is not yet so among ordinary Catholics in the Philippines. In fact, there is much suspicions among Catholics towards the Protestants and the Evangelicals. The aggressive behaviors of the “Born Agains” in recruiting members or attacking traditional Catholic practices do not help in allaying the suspicions. So, there is much yet to be done in the field of ecumenism, especially during this year of 2020 when our theme is on ecumenism, inter-religious dialogue and indigenous peoples, that is, in building harmony through dialogue with those who are different from us.

Let us start with praying for unity during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity to enter into this spirit of dialogue. Let us inject intentions for Christian unity in our daily prayers, and if there is any opportunity, let us join in organized ecumenical prayers and gatherings. May we indeed be one as Jesus and the Father are one.

Year 2020 with the Bible

20-20 vision. That means that you good normal eyesight. You can see clearly. We need 20-20 vision not only with our bodily eyes. We need it more for our inner life, that we know clearly where we are going in life, what is the meaning and purpose of our life, what are the mistakes to be avoided, what goals to pursue. For this 20-20 vision in life we need a lens to see clearly. This lens is provided to us by the Word of God which is found in the Sacred Scriptures, in the Bible. It is propitious that this year 2020 has been declared by  the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) as the Year of the Bible and by the Catholic Biblical Federation (CBF) as the Year of the Word of God. Both of these are huge international Christian groups. The WEA represents over 600 million Evangelical Christians worldwide with national alliances in 130 nations, whereas the CBF is a worldwide federation of Catholic Bible associations and other organizations committed to biblical-pastoral ministries in 126 countries. Both are to promote the Bible in a special way this year so that it be read more intensely by more people with the purpose that its message may give life and light to our world today which is enveloped by confusion, fear and even hopelessness because of the global burden it carries. Incidentally the year 2020 marks the 1600th death anniversary of St. Jerome, patron of Bible study and Bible translators.

With the Presidential Proclamation 124 on January 5, 2017, President Duterte has declared the month of January every year as National Bible Month, culminating in the last week of January as the National Bible Week. This means that all Filipinos, including those in government offices, are enjoined this month to focus on the importance of the reading and the study of the Bible. The government recognizes “the religious nature of the Filipino people and the elevating influence of religion in human society.” Meanwhile, Pope Francis came out with an apostolic letter last September 30, 2019, entitled: “Aperuit Illis” instituting the Sunday of the Word of God in the whole Catholic Church. He wants the whole Church to give focus on the importance of the Bible. We in the Philippines have already the Bible Sunday, celebrated on the last Sunday of January every year since the 1970s in order to inculcate among Filipino Catholics the importance of the Word of God  in the life and ministry of the Church and to support the Bible Apostolate.

In his letter entitled “Verbum Domini,” Pope Benedict emphasized the centrality of the word of God in the Church’s life, and recommended a greater “biblical apostolate,” not alongside other forms of pastoral work, but as a means of letting the Bible inspire all pastoral work. Furthermore, he wrote: “Since ‘ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ,’ making the Bible the inspiration of every ordinary and extraordinary pastoral outreach will lead to a greater awareness of the person of Christ, who reveals the Father and is the fullness of divine revelation.” (DV 73)

Do we still need any further motivation to take up our Bibles now, read it regularly and spread its message to our friends?