Quarantined Wayfarer

Tag: hope

The Season of Advent: a “Breath of Fresh Air”
Little boy flying a kite aided by the Amihan winds.
Photo library of TalinMan, 2021
Just as the season of Amihan ushers in the cool northeastern winds; so, too, the season of Advent brings forth the “breath of fresh air”, which is meant to resuscitate the inner spirit of man, badly battered by the pandemic.
Having gone through 21 grueling months of COVID surges & lockdowns, this season of Advent should provide us some 4 weeks of respite. If one takes advantage of such, it should bring forth a new horizon of hope like a “breath of fresh air”, that would enable us to recover our interior strength, which had been badly beaten by the pandemic. By tradition, this 4-week period serves as a time of preparation for Christmas Day, the commemorative celebration of the birth of our Lord, Jesus Christ.
Call for Vigilance
Contrary to the common practice of busying ourselves with Christmas shopping in the malls and shifting our mindsets into a much more relaxed Christmas holiday mood, the Holy Father, Pope Francis, exhorts us to exercise vigilance. He reminds us of the strong reprimand of Jesus, “Beware that your hearts do not become drowsy . . . Be vigilant at all times and pray” (Lk 21:34, 36).
In the words of Pope Francis, to be vigilant means the following:
- We focus on our final destination, that is, to ultimately be with our Lord and Saviour. Hence, we need to be mindful of our lifestyle, whether it’s in conformity with our ultimate goal – to be with Christ in eternal bliss. Often times, our minds easily stray from the essential matters to the ephemeral attractions of this world. Hence, the need for alertness.
- We need to practice a plan of life, which drills down into one’s particular circumstances the essential elements necessary for living a holistic lifestyle. For example, one can draw up a daily agenda on an hourly basis that lists down the “to do’s” for one’s job as well as customs or norms for spiritual growth i.e. attending Holy Mass, praying the Holy Rosary, etc..
- We guard against distractions i.e. social media, frivolous consumerism, etc., which may obstruct or disrupt achievement of our ultimate goal.
A House Built on Rock
Moreover, it is important to make sure that daily life does not become just a routine, being preoccupied only with mundane matters revolving around the self. On the contrary, we need to foster sensitivity to the needs of those around us, specially the poor and the destitute. Otherwise, apathy and indifference may sink into our hearts, which would eventually shackle our souls bereft of happiness.
As an antidote to such self-centered tendencies, Pope Francis urges us to pray always – “Maranatha: Come, Lord Jesus, come”. This is because perseverance in prayer reawakens the soul from slumber, thereby, redirecting focus on what is most important in life. One of the best ways of enhancing prayer is reading the gospels on a daily basis. Providentially, today’s gospel of Matthew gives us a timely reminder, as follows:
“Everyone who listens to these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock. The rain fell, the floods came, and the winds blew and buffeted the house. But it did not collapse; it had been set solidly on rock.”
Mt 7:21, 24–27, Pocket Missal
Call for Perseverance
Finally, the season of Advent affords us a much-needed respite, which like a breath of fresh air, would re-invigorate our battered spirits in time to celebrate the nativity of Jesus Christ with much joy and thanksgiving. Hence, it would do us well to heed the maxim of my mentor, St. Josemaria Escriva, on the importance of struggling to persevere in the attainment of our goal.
42
“Why those variations in your character? When are you going to apply your will to something? Drop that craze for laying cornerstones, and finish at least one of your projects.”
St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, #42
TalinMan
Share and Enjoy !
Shares
December 2, 2021
The Season of Amihan: a Harbinger of Good Things Ahead
Captured a beautiful image of a rainbow – a harbinger of good things to come

Photo album of TalinMan, 2021.
Today marks the 608th day of life under quarantine since day 1 of the government’s official lock-down. Unlike the usual humdrum days of the stay-at-home quarantine, this morning, however, I was pleasantly awakened by the cool breeze of the northeast winds – the amihan. Notably, it infused in my spirit an aura of optimism. Come to think of it, in the Philippines, the season of amihan normally presages the end of the hot, humid, and wet season of habagat – the southwest monsoon. The amihan ushers in the best season of the year, characterized by cool and clear days ahead till May. Could this season of amihan be the harbinger of good things to come?
On a corollary note, the whole of Christendom eagerly awaits the onset of the Advent season. Like the amihan, the Advent season heralds a season of joy and optimism as people await the coming of the child Jesus on Christmas day. Interestingly, the confluence of the amihan and Advent at this time may augur well as the harbinger of good things ahead.
A Second Choice
Given that this pandemic crisis has chronically battered the physio-socio well-being of society for almost two years, the onset of the seasons of Advent and the amihan certainly provides a welcome relief, specially, to those affected. Indeed, it gives reason for one and all to hope for a better future. As we prepare for the new normal, it would do well to take note of the exhortation of the great statesman, Winston Churchill:
“If I had to live my life over again in the same surroundings, no doubt I should have the same perplexities and hesitations; no doubt I should have my same sense of proportion, my same guiding lights, my same onward thrusts, my same limitations. And if these came into contact with the same external facts, would I not run in fact along exactly the same grooves? Of course if the externals are varied, if accident and chance flow out through new uncharted channels, I shall vary accordingly. But then I should not be living my life over again. I should be living another life in a world whose structure and history would to a large extent diverge from this one.”
Winston S. Churchill, “A Second Choice” Essay, 1937
In short, if one were to examine Churchill’s advice and try to adapt it to the current pandemic, the sound thing to do is not to live the same life over again. The pandemic crisis has changed the game. We need to adapt the “second choice”, that is, to live another life in a world that cries out for a new paradigm: respect for human dignity & ecology, good governance, social responsibility, fraternity, and solidarity for the common good. In other words, we need to re-define a new culture and a new way of living in accord with the dictates of the post-COVID world.
The Folly of Dreams
It is quite apparent that the industrial revolution of the last century and the recent information technology boom have exacerbated the widening income gap between the first-world countries and the rest of the world. Whilst innovation and technology have succeeded in sending men to the moon, on the one hand, it seems ironic that, on the other, the rising levels in global hunger and poverty have yet to be licked.
Whilst dreams may provide the impetus for defining a new life, prudence would dictate that the same be properly grounded on the exigencies of the situation. On this note, St. Josemaria gives a forewarning not to fall into the folly of dreams, as follows:
41
“What a sublime way of carrying on with your empty follies, and what a way of getting somewhere in the world: rising, always rising simply by ‘weighing little’, by having nothing inside – neither in your head nor in your heart!”
St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, 41
Faith as the Bed-Rock of the New Order
In the past 20 months, we have witnessed the socio-economic devastation inflicted by the pandemic crisis. It has exposed the vulnerabilities of man and societal structures. In order to move ahead well into the future, one would need to go back to the roots of faith. Providentially, St. Paul provides an insight on how to navigate the future with greater resiliency.
“Since we are justified by faith, let us enjoy peace with God through Our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access, by faith, to that grace in which we stand and we rejoice in the hope of attaining glory as the sons of God. More than that, we rejoice even in our afflictions, knowing well that affliction gives rise to patience, and patience brings perseverance, and perseverance brings hope, and this hope does not disappoint us: for the love of God has been poured into our hearts by the Holy Spirit.”
Romans 5:1-5, NABRE
TalinMan
Share and Enjoy !
Shares

November 14, 2021
Welcoming a Renewed yet Reshaped World Order
College students would dare to jump from the platform in the middle of the Somme river in Amiens, France. Photo library of TalinMan, 2019
The Year 2021 began with an aura of optimism. Thankfully, the dark clouds of fear & anxiety induced by the COVID-19 are slowly being dissipated by news of the government’s vaccination plans. Such glad tidings augur well for better times ahead. Indeed, the situation invites us to prepare for welcoming a renewed yet reshaped world order.
As the new year ushers in, it is worth looking into Point no. 30 of St. Josemaria Escriva’s classic book, The Way.
30
You’re shrewd. But don’t tell me you are young. Youth gives all it can – it gives itself without reserve.
St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way
At first glance, the reader might misread the above-cited point as a rude criticism. However, St. Josemaria simply wants to drive home the importance of reinvigorating one’s youthful spirit. After all, this is one way of renewing one’s internal disposition. With the pandemic having wreaked fear & anxiety amongst the general public, it is highly probable that people have lost their desire for bigger things in life. Hence, to survive this pandemic, it is important to renew and refresh one’s spirit: stay young at heart!
Dream and Your Dreams Will Fall Short
One cannot over-emphasize the need to re-instill a youthful spirit, specially at the beginning of the Year 2021 when the outlook seems brighter. During his life time, St. Josemaria would often say -“Dream and your dreams will fall short.” It is a fitting reminder that one should strive to stay youthful with the daringness to dream big. Otherwise, one could easily succumb to the “virus of indifference” which kills one’s spirit of initiative to look after and care for humankind and God’s creation.
Welcoming a Renewed yet Reshaped World Order: Dream Big
Interestingly, in his latest book, Pope Francis shares the same youthful sentiments exhorting everyone to help renew and reshape the new world order, saying that:
“This is a moment to dream big, to rethink our priorities — what we value, what we want, what we seek — and to commit to act in our daily life on what we have dreamed of.”
Pope Francis, Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future
In essence, Pope Francis is urging people from different races and religions to embrace the spirit of youthfulness in preparing for the new world order. He stated in no uncertain terms: “God asks us to dare to create something new. We cannot return to the false securities of the political and economic systems we had before the crisis. We need economies that give to all access to the fruits of creation, to the basic needs of life: to land, lodging and labor. We need a politics that can integrate and dialogue with the poor, the excluded, and the vulnerable, that gives people a say in the decisions that affect their lives. We need to slow down, take stock, and design better ways of living together on this earth.”¹
Youthfulness Breeds Hope
In his message during the Diocesan World Youth Day 2020, Pope Francis challenged the youth by invoking Christ’s command to the dead son of the widow of Nain, as he said:
“Arise!” is also an invitation to “dream”, to “take a risk”, to be “committed to changing the world, to rekindle your hopes and aspirations, and to contemplate the heavens, the stars and the world around you.”
Pope Francis, WYD 2020, April 5
Clearly, the world needs such youthful spirit to spur us on to a better future. This is the transformative character that Pope Francis longs and prays for, as may be gleaned from the following excerpt from the Apostolic Exhortation, Christus Vivit:
“Young people are not meant to become discouraged; they are meant to dream great things, to seek vast horizons, to aim higher, to take on the world, to accept challenges and to offer the best of themselves to the building of something better. That is why I constantly urge young people not to let themselves be robbed of hope; to each of them I repeat: “Let no one despise your youth” (1 Tim 4:12).
Pope Francis, Post synodal Apostolic Exhortation, Christus Vivit, 15
Fountain of Youth
Finally, in order to forever retain this youthful spirit, it is best to go to Jesus, who is our Lord and master. Pope Francis invites us to reflect on point no. 13 of Christus Vivit, as follows:
13
Jesus, himself eternally young, wants to give us hearts that are ever young. God’s word asks us to “cast out the old leaven that you may be fresh dough” (1 Cor 5:7). Saint Paul invites us to strip ourselves of the “old self” and to put on a “young” self (Col 3:9-10).[1] In explaining what it means to put on that youthfulness “which is being renewed” (v. 10), he mentions “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness and patience, bearing with one another and forgiving each other if anyone has a complaint against another” (Col 3:12-13). In a word, true youth means having a heart capable of loving, whereas everything that separates us from others makes the soul grow old. And so he concludes: “above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony” (Col 3:14).
Pope Francis, Apostolic Exhortation, Christus Vivit, 13
TalinMan
¹ Excerpts from his latest book, Pope Francis, Let Us Dream
Share and Enjoy !
Shares

January 20, 2021
Contagion of Hope
In his “Urbi et Orbi” address for Easter Sunday, Pope Francis proclaimed to the whole world the joy of Easter with the verse, “Jesus Christ is risen!” – “He is truly risen!”.
The Holy Father further continued to speak: “Like a new flame, this Good News springs up in the night: the night of a world already faced with epochal challenges and now oppressed by a pandemic severely testing our whole human family. In this night, the Church’s voice rings out: ‘Christ, my hope, is risen!’ ” (Easter Sequence).
The hope brought forth by the risen Christ should, in fact, be the antidote to this pandemic, which spreads from heart to heart like a contagion that would instill trust in the Lord’s goodness. “There is no room for indifference, self-centeredness, division and forgetfulness”, said the Pope.
On that note, Point # 3 of The Way precisely points out the importance of maturity. A trait of character that speaks of being able to control the longings of the self.
The crucified Christ at the main altar of the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona, Spain.
```
Point # 3     Maturity. Stop making faces and acting up like a child! Your bearing ought to reflect the peace and order in your soul.
```
As the pandemic continues with its onslaught of unabated contamination across the globe, the greatest temptation is to close in on oneself; and, allow the deluge of negative information to overwhelm us.
Instead of allowing fear and terror to destroy the psyche of society, St. Josemaria is counseling us to be calm and not lose our composure. Faced with uncertainty of what lies ahead, we turn to the Lord of Hope for He is the master of the universe.
Let the words of Pope Francis in his homily during the Easter Vigil Mass inspire and console us, as follows:
“Tonight we acquire a fundamental right that can never be taken away from us: the right to hope. It is a new and living hope that comes from God. It is not mere optimism; it is not a pat on the back or an empty word of encouragement, with a passing smile. No. It is a gift from heaven, which we could not have earned on our own. Over these weeks, we have kept repeating, “All will be well”, clinging to the beauty of our humanity and allowing words of encouragement to rise up from our hearts. But as the days go by and fears grow, even the boldest hope can dissipate. Jesus’ hope is different. He plants in our hearts the conviction that God is able to make everything work unto good, because even from the grave he brings life.”
TalinMan
Share and Enjoy !
Shares
April 13, 2020
“Do not be afraid.”[Matthew 28:10]
Today, Black Saturday, Christians all over the world mourn in silence the death of Jesus Christ, the Son of Man “who gave himself as ransom for all” [1 Tim 2:6]. It is the day, when the Apostles, having heard about the arrest and eventual crucifixion of their Lord and master, were struck with fear and panic. To allay their fear, they gathered together in the Upper room and sought refuge with Mary, the mother of Christ.
As we ponder on the narrative of the first black Saturday, we see today a striking similarity. It is, as if, in one fell swoop, all the dreams of humanity have been snatched by the COVID 19 pandemic. Everyone is cowering in fear given the looming darkness of uncertainty. Indeed, left to our own selves, only darkness and terror will reign in our hearts.
But the good news is that the Easter Vigil celebration will usher in “a new fire” which will light the Paschal candle, symbolizing the light of Christ coming into the world. The gospel of the apostle Matthew will re-live the scene where the resurrected Jesus Christ appears to Mary Magdalene and the other Mary and tells them, “Do not be afraid. Go tell my brothers to go to Galilee, and there they will see me [Matt 28:10]”.
For all of us still caught up in isolation, the words of Jesus certainly provide the much needed consolation and hope for better times ahead.
I would like to continue with my commentary on St. Josemaria Escriva’s book, The Way.
Source: Paschal_candle,_St_Denis_Joondanna,_2015 – Wikimedia Commons
```
Point # 2  May your behavior and your conversation be such that everyone who sees or hears you can say: This man reads the life of Christ.  
```
For me, the verse above encapsulates a father’s love and desire for his child to develop good character. From a Christian family’s point of view, of course, the ideal would be to become like Christ. Hence, St. Josemaria, in Point #2, poses a challenge for the reader to get to know Jesus. How to do it? Let me share some ideas.
Firstly, take advantage of the free time during this quarantine, by setting aside 10 minutes each day to read up on the four gospel narratives as written by St. Matthew, St. Mark, St. Luke and St. John. I would caution, however, that you not read the whole section in one sitting. It does not pay to binge on reading the bible.
Secondly, as St. Josemaria would advise: put yourself into the shoes of the characters in the same gospel scene with Christ. This will enable you to be more familiar with Christ. For example, when you turn to the gospel of the fifth Sunday of Lent, you will realize that Our Lord was very human like us, when Jesus wept after seeing Mary weep, as they were going to the tomb of Lazarus.
Lastly, try to savor the gospel scene by reading it with love and reverence. Over time, you will be happily surprised that, whenever you turn to a gospel scene, you have found a friend, Jesus Christ. He loved us first, now, it is your turn to correspond.
TalinMan
Share and Enjoy !
Shares
April 11, 2020