Friday, December 9, 2016

The World of Convenience


The world is pampering us with convenience that is why it’s easy for us to give up on people. It is easy to call it quit when the going gets tough with the people we are serving. From convenience store, buying online, ordering food at the comfort of home, drive through teller for money withdrawal and yes, even entering a store, the door opens for you! We are becoming a lazy generation without us even knowing it! That is why at the smallest discomfort we quit.

This is very telling in terms of our family, career, love life and service.

1.   We quit on our family. We don’t visit or talk to them we are too busy. We don’t even help them; we only go back when we need them only to realize it’s too late anymore.
2.   We quit on our job so easily. A little struggle here and there with co-workers, boss or even on work itself, we resign. We don’t aspire to study and improve ourselves.
3.   We quit on love life. We change relationships like changing a wardrobe! Worst, we don’t even own the wardrobe we just use them!
4.   We quit on service. If it stresses you out, it’s not going your way, it’s encroaching on your “life”, we quit!

So okay, all valid reasons, so maybe somebody should have told your parents not to get pregnant of you because it was inconvenient. Or, somebody should tell companies not to hire you because you cannot handle stress, co-workers and the boss. Or maybe, somebody should broadcast to all the sisters (if you are a brother) or to all brothers (if you are a sister) that you are a user and you just wear them at your comfort and then discard them. Or maybe, somebody should tell God to stop looking after you, stop serving you and stop listening at your prayers because it’s too uncomfortable and inconvenient for Him to serve you. Maybe this is fair.

“I’ll serve as long as it fits me. If it fits with my lifestyle, my schedule and my stage of life, then okay.” This is a very narrow way of looking at things. God did not created us out of convenience. Serving out of convenience is not service it's just filling out your spare time. It is devoid of sacrifice. Service without sacrifice is no service at all!

The story of creation or the entire salvation history culminating in the passion, death and resurrection of our Lord for that matter is not a story of convenience. If this is our gauge, then I think we need to change our perspective on service for certainly our salvation was not out of convenience.

Lord, may we not look for convenience in serving You, but when difficulties come, grant us the grace to find use and joy of it. Amen.

by aats






Sunday, December 4, 2016

Disturb Us Lord



I came across a beautiful prayer composed by Francis Drake, English navigator, a beautiful prayer that challenges man to search for adventure and go beyond what the world offers. This is a timely prayer for people who got tired of monotonous life and is in search for something else different.

“Disturb us, Lord, when we are too well pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true because we have dreamed too little,
When we arrive safely because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess,
We have lost our thirst for the waters of life,
Having fallen in love with life, we have ceased to dream of eternity,
And in our efforts to build a new earth,
We have allowed our vision of the new heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly, to venture on wider seas,
Where storms will show your mastery,
Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back the horizon of our hopes,
And to push us into the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.
This we ask in the name of our Captain, who is Jesus Christ.”

There is beauty beyond the comforts of where we are, go have an adventure!

by aats

Friday, December 2, 2016

I’ve Never Been To Me


The process of finding yourself is going back to the one who created you. For Christians, He is God. In between now and finding Him, allow yourself to go back the road where people who acceded in giving you birth in this world and your family walks. There, give your time, listen and remember. We lose ourselves because we love “independence” too much. We want to go out there, find and explore the world and then ended it lost and wanting. Remember the song “I’ve Never Been To Me” written and composed by Ron Miller and Kenneth Hirsch and sung by Charlene?

Hey lady, you, lady, cursin' at your life
You're a discontented mother and a rich inventive wife
I've no doubt you dream about the things you'll never do
But I wish someone had a talked to me like I wanna talk to you

Ooh I've been to Georgia and California, oh, anywhere I could run
Took the hand of a preacher man and we made love in the sun
But I ran out of places and friendly faces because I had to be free
I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me

Please lady, please, lady, don't just walk away
Cause I have this need to tell you why I'm all alone today
I can see so much of me still living in your eyes
Won't you share a part of a weary heart that has lived a million lies

Oh I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
While I sipped champagne on a yacht
I moved like Harlow in Monte Carlo and showed 'em what I've got
I've been undressed by kings and I've seen some things
That a woman ain't s'posed to see
I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me

Hey, you know what paradise is? It's a lie. A fantasy we create about
People and places as we'd like them to be. But you know what truth is?
It's that little baby you're holding, and it's that man you fought with
This morning, the same one you're going to make love with tonight.
That's truth, that's love

Sometimes I've been to cryin' for unborn children
That might have made me complete
But I, I took the sweet life and never knew I'd be bitter from the sweet
I spent my life exploring the subtle whoring that cost too much to be free
Hey lady, I've been to paradise, but I've never been to me

I've been to paradise, never been to me
(I've been to Georgia and California, and anywhere I could run)
I've been to paradise, never been to me
(I've been to Nice and the isle of Greece
While I sipped champagne on a yacht)
I've been to paradise, never been to me
(I've been to cryin' for unborn children)

We forget that life is not meant to be journeyed alone. So I have some suggestions:

1.   Have quality time with your family. I mean, really, give your time. Talk and listen. If there are people who knew you better and accepts you as you are, it is them. However, in fast paced individualistic world, somehow family time is put at the backburner for the sake of going out there, exploring the world and yes “exploring ourselves” which can mean so many things. So no wonder, we always ends up exhausted and used up.
2.   Find time for yourself and then give. We are not defined by work. We are a human being not a machine, so treat yourself as such. You get sick and stressed, it’s a sign to stop and loosen up. It is saying, rest for a while. What makes you relax? When you find time for yourself, allow yourself to listen. I mean, really listen. Be silent and listen. There are so many things we missed because we don’t. Are you tired of repetitive things? Then do something different. How about helping others? It is in serving others that we find meaning to our existence.
3.  Find time with God. If we are serious about finding ourselves, then find time with God. We have to go back to the one who created us. We cannot find ourselves in “Self Help Books”. We can find comfort in some people and books but in the end it will not help a lot. The only way is to accept the hard truth that we can never find ourselves except by going back to Him. That entails having a real personal relationship with Him. When was the last you pray? I mean, really pray and talk to Christ like He is your friend?

You are not lost, you know who you are, you just forgot. Attend a Eucharistic Celebration and have a closer ear on what the priest says at the consecration, “Do this in remembrance of me.” May you remember who you are, you are the son and daughter of God. You are not lost, you are found in His embrace.

by aats