Quarantined Wayfarer

Tag: Love

We Have Hit the Wall.
The Wailing Wall of Jerusalem, Photo library of TalinMan
Today marks the 588th day of the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite having the longest-running lockdown, the Philippines nevertheless garnered the lowest rank at # 121 in the recent Nikkei Asia Recovery Index. Sadly, it seems that we have hit the wall.
For more than 19 months now, this pandemic has reached crisis proportions. Almost everyone is languishing and experiencing “existential burnout.” According to Margaret Wehrenberg in her book “Pandemic Anxiety: Fear, Stress, and Loss in Traumatic Times”, we should not be surprised at all. She said, “A year of uncertainty, of being whipsawed between anxiety and depression, of seeing expert predictions wither away and goalposts shift, has left many people feeling that they are existing in a kind of fog, the world shaded in gray.” Clearly, we have hit the wall.
Disparate Demographic Trends
Interestingly, the pandemic crisis has induced some divergent demographic trends, which are rather surprising. For example, in America, Jonathan Wolfe, an NYT reporter, writes: “Over the last 19 months, an outsized number of Americans have left cities, their marriages, and organized religion. Some have recently tried dumping social media. It seems that many see 2021 as a year to finally leave pre-pandemic lives behind and embrace the idea of a fresh start.”
Moreover, Wolfe remarks, “Perhaps the most pronounced example is what economists are calling “The Great Resignation.” In August, a record 4.3 million Americans left their jobs — the highest number in the two decades the government has been keeping track. Across industries including health care, education, retail, food services, and child care, people are saying goodbye to their employers, sometimes even walking out in the middle of a shift.”
In contrast, however, in the Philippines, many have lost their jobs involuntarily. The jobless are at their wit’s end, scrounging for any means of livelihood to feed their families. Based on a national survey conducted by Social Weather Station, 4.2 million Filipinos experienced hunger in May this year. Sadly, this pandemic has further widened the income gap between the 1st world countries and the rest of the world.
Faith & Hope in Tandem
And yet, amidst the gloomy atmosphere, however, it seems that the whole of humankind is desperately searching deep in their hearts for the meaning of life. Indeed, it’s time to dig into the dusty bin of one’s inner spirit. For some, they would discover new insights from old gospel values and beliefs. For others, they would simply shrug their shoulders in total despondency. Indeed, they have hit the wall.
As a possible remedy, St. Paul in his letter to the Romans provides insightful advice, as follows:
“We know that all creation is groaning in labor pains even until now; and not only that, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, we also groan within ourselves as we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. For in hope we were saved. Now hope that sees for itself is not hope. For who hopes for what one sees? But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait with endurance.”
Rom 8:22-25, NAB
Indeed, hope springs eternal. It engenders the human spirit to persevere and endure the pains of this pandemic. We only need to rekindle in our hearts our divine predilection, being the children of God. As St. Paul would put it, “we know that all things work for good for those who love God.”Rom 8:28
The Common Good and Solidarity
Whilst faith and hope may ignite the fire of perseverance and fortitude to forge ahead with optimism, it would be foolhardy to remain ensconced in the comforts of one’s abode. Such a closed-in way of life would eventually succumb to a downward spiral into a counterproductive life, which would ultimately lead to sadness and isolation.
On the contrary, one would need to discern the needs of society and learn to adapt to the dictates of the circumstances. Such an attitude would certainly foster an outward-looking lifestyle. This, in turn, would lend itself to the development of initiatives meant for the common good.
A classic example of this inclusive outlook is the phenomenon of the community pantry, which spread like wildfire nationwide during the height of the first wave of attack of the COVID-19. This was inspired by a simple young lady, Anna “Patreng” Non, who started the first prototype – the Maginhawa Community Pantry. Today, thousands of community pantries nationwide provide food to the hungry.
Finally, whilst the road ahead appears foggy and fraught with uncertainty, it would be worthwhile to keep in mind a maxim composed by St. Josemaria during the Spanish civil war of 1936-39, as follows:
40
“Faith, joy, optimism. But not the folly of closing your eyes to reality.”
St. Josemaria Escriva, the way, 40
TalinMan
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October 25, 2021
Regression from Integration to Isolation
Place de la République, Paris, France, Photo library of TalinMan
A look back in the history of the past three (3) decades seems to indicate an alarming regression from integration to isolation. Recall that, in the early 1990s, the world saw rapid advancements in the field of information and communication technology. As the internet gained wide spread dominance, new ways of doing business, particularly, in media & communications started to emerge i.e. email, internet telephony, online music, digital newspapers, video streaming, social media, etc.. Indeed, this rapid pace of development in technology paved the way towards socio-economic integration, thereby ushering in the era of globalization.
As globalization expanded, cross border trade flourished. Hence, economic prosperity spread across the globe. With the onset of the global financial crisis in 2008, however, the world suffered major financial setbacks, which had rippling effects from east to west. Economic difficulties fanned the tailwinds of socio-political unrest, which gave rise to populist movements such as #Occupy Wall Street. Whilst such a movement was organized to thwart the ill-effects of the cultural milieu espousing: ‘GREED IS GOOD”, it had its unintended consequences of creating the divide between the haves and the have-nots, the capitalist and the man on the street. In essence, the GFC marked the beginning of regression from integration to isolation.
Selfishness: a Bane to Progress
Interestingly, back in 1938, the young Escriva wrote down in his diary Point no. 31, which somehow presaged the regression of world order from integration to isolation. Shown below is the excerpt from the classic book, The Way:
31
Selfish! You. . . always looking out for yourself. You seem unable to feel the brotherhood of Christ. In others you don’t see brothers; you see stepping stones.
I can foresee your complete failure. And when you are down, you’ll expect others to treat you with the charity you’re unwilling to show them.
St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way, 31
Sadly, the surge of the COVID-19 pandemic has exposed the vulnerabilities of present-day society. One cannot fail to notice the institutionalized corruption within the bureaucracy of Government, more particularly, in the provision of medical & health care services. Moreover, self-interest and xenophobia have taken center stage, thereby, causing the breakdown of cooperation & solidarity. Consequently, this has led to the sad plight of migrant refugees in Europe. Self-righteousness and injustice have fostered the rise in human & drug trafficking as well as ethnic cleansing in Asia. In short, greed and selfishness have exacerbated the breakdown in world peace & harmony.
“Return to me with all your heart” (Joel 2:12)
Quoting from the words of the Prophet Joel in sacred scriptures, Pope Francis, in his Ash Wednesday homily, exhorted all to reconsider “the path we are taking, to find the route that leads us home and to rediscover our profound relationship with God, on whom everything depends. This is the core of Lent: asking where our hearts are directed.” It was his way of admonishing all to rid the self “from the clutches of consumerism and the snares of selfishness, from always wanting more, from never being satisfied, and from a heart closed to the needs of the poor.”¹
To avert the seeming regression from integration to isolation, the Holy Pontiff invites everyone to reflect on the return journeys revealed in Holy Scriptures, as follows:
- Just like the prodigal son, we need to return to the Father. We do this by repentance of sins and seeking forgiveness through the sacrament of Confession. “It is the Father’s forgiveness that always sets us back on our feet.”²
- Following the leper, who was cured by Jesus, we too return to Jesus to present our wounds and give him thanks saying: “Jesus, I am in your presence, with my sin, with my sorrows. You are the physician. You can set me free. Heal my heart.”³
- Just as the Holy Spirit breathed upon dust the spirit of life, so too we return to the Holy Spirit, the “Giver of Life, to the Fire who teaches us how to love”.⁴
As may be gleaned from the three (3) suggestions, the beginning of the return journey to God is hinged upon the recognition of one’s sinfulness and the humble acceptance that God is in control and not the self.
Fraternity: a Boon to Integration from Isolation
With the hope of arresting the regression from integration to isolation, Pope Francis, in his encyclical letter, Fratelli Tutti, extolled the need to foster fraternity between all men and women. He asserted: “No one can face life in isolation… We need a community that supports and helps us, in which we can help one another to keep looking ahead. How important it is to dream together… By ourselves, we risk seeing mirages, things that are not there. Dreams, on the other hand, are built together. Let us dream, then, as a single human family, as fellow travelers sharing the same flesh, as children of the same earth which is our common home, each of us bringing the richness of his or her beliefs and convictions, each of us with his or her own voice, brothers and sisters all”.⁵
Moreover, the Holy Pontiff emphasized that: “Unless we recover the shared passion to create a community of belonging and solidarity worthy of our time, our energy and our resources, the global illusion that misled us will collapse and leave many in the grip of anguish and emptiness. Nor should we naively refuse to recognize that ‘obsession with a consumerist lifestyle, above all when few people are capable of maintaining it, can only lead to violence and mutual destruction. The notion of ‘every man for himself’ will rapidly degenerate into a free-for-all that would prove worse than any pandemic.”⁶
Learning from the Good Samaritan
Finally, it is worth pondering on the Parable of the Good Samaritan, wherein we see the genuine gesture of love and compassion displayed by this total stranger, a foreigner, in fact, hated by the Jews.
“Just then a lawyer stood up to test Jesus. ‘Teacher,’ he said, ‘what must I do to inherit eternal life?’ He said to him, ‘What is written in the law? What do you read there?’ He answered, ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbour as yourself.’ And he said to him, ‘You have given the right answer; do this, and you will live.’ But wanting to justify himself, he asked Jesus, ‘And who is my neighbour?’
Jesus replied, ‘A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell into the hands of robbers, who stripped him, beat him, and went away, leaving him half dead. Now by chance a priest was going down that road; and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan while traveling came near him; and when he saw him, he was moved with pity. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, having poured oil and wine on them. Then he put him on his own animal, brought him to an inn, and took care of him. The next day he took out two denarii, gave them to the innkeeper, and said, ‘Take care of him; and when I come back, I will repay you whatever more you spend.’ Which of these three, do you think, was a neighbour to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?” He said, ‘The one who showed him mercy.’ Jesus said to him, ‘Go and do likewise.’”
Lk 10:25-37
For “love shatters the chains that keep us isolated and separate; in their place, it builds bridges. Love enables us to create one great family, where all of us can feel at home… Love exudes compassion and dignity”.⁷
TalinMan
¹Pope Francis, Ash Wednesday Homily 2019
² Pope Francis, Ash Wednesday Homily 2021
³Ibid
⁴ Ibid
⁵ Pope Francis, Encyclical Letter, Fratelli Tutti, # 8
⁶ Ibid, #36
⁷Ibid, #62
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February 21, 2021
How Deep Is Your Love?
Street Art, Le Marais, Paris. Photo library of TalinMan
Advancing for more than seven (7)months to date, the COVID_19 pandemic rages on with its third wave of attack. We need to be vigilant. We cannot afford to be defeated by laxity and complacency. Indeed, it remains vital to focus on the things that really matter: How deep is your love?
In searching for the answer to such an existential question, St. Josemaria Escriva, in his classic book, The Way, tries to suggest an answer, worthwhile reflecting on, as follows:
24
“You are ambitious: for knowledge . . . for leadership. You want to be daring.
Good. That’s fine. But let it be for Christ, for Love.”
St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way
As may be gleaned from above, the point of St. Josemaria is that, in desiring to be ambitious, one ought to focus on the things that really matter most in life. Nowadays, with the ubiquity of the internet, it is so easy to be swayed by cultural norms which speak about worldly ambitions seeking the ephemeral. Clearly, the world of today defines success in terms of getting ahead of everyone else be it in knowledge, intellectual properties, material wealth, and influence in society. It’s a zero-sum game: it’s either you win or you lose. In such a case, can one honestly venture to ask: how deep is your love?
Pope Francis couldn’t have aptly described it when he said: The world tells us exactly the opposite: entertainment, pleasure, diversion and escape make for the good life. The worldly person ignores problems of sickness or sorrow in the family or all around him; he averts his gaze. The world has no desire to mourn; it would rather disregard painful situations, cover them up or hide them. Much energy is expended on fleeing from situations of suffering in the belief that reality can be concealed. But the cross can never be absent.(Gex 75)
The Call to Holiness
In his own small way, the young priest, Josemaria Escriva, pondered upon such an existential question: how deep is your love? On October 2, 1928, the young priest, Josemaria Escriva, received an illumination whereby he saw a new way by which ordinary laypeople could pursue holiness or love for God, that is, through the loving fulfillment of each one’s ordinary duties of each day.
In the same token, ninety years thereafter, in his Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, Pope Francis enjoined the faithful to heed the call to holiness. He said: “The Gospel invites us to peer into the depths of our heart, to see where we find our security in life. Usually the rich feel secure in their wealth and think that, if that wealth is threatened, the whole meaning of their earthly life can collapse. Jesus himself tells us this in the parable of the rich fool: he speaks of a man who was sure of himself, yet foolish, for it did not dawn on him that he might die that very day (cf. Lk 12:16-21).”
To Be Human is To Love
At its core, the measure of one’s love ultimately reflects on the person’s depth of love for God. Interestingly, a Bohemia-Austrian poet, Rainer Maria Rilke, composed an inspiring poem that eloquently described his outlook on life. He said: “I live my life in widening circles that reach out across the world. I may not complete this last one but I will give myself to it.” In essence, he was referring to a mission, driven by his love for God, which motivated him to reach out to his ever-widening circle of friends and loved ones. Perhaps, we could emulate Rilke’s mission in life.
Fix Your Gaze at the Face of Christ
Falling in love with Christ is not an overnight occurrence. Rather, it entails the daily choice of doing acts of love for one’s spouse or neighbor, which, though small, accumulate over time into a personal relationship with Christ. On one occasion, Pope Francis gave an advise: “Here then, is the secret of life, that brings us out of anonymity: to fix our gaze on Jesus’ face and become familiar with Him. Looking at Jesus,” he continued, “purifies our sight and prepares us to look at everything with new eyes. Meeting with Jesus, looking at the Son of Man, the poor, and the simple found themselves, they felt loved deeply by love without measure.”
Finally, love for Christ will blossom if one goes out of his way to get to know Christ through the Holy Scriptures. As Pope Francis said: “Nothing is more enlightening than turning to Jesus’ words and seeing his way of teaching the truth. Jesus explained with great simplicity what it means to be holy when he gave us the Beatitudes (cf. Mt 5:3-12; Lk 6:20-23). The Beatitudes are like a Christian’s identity card. So if anyone asks: “What must one do to be a good Christian?”, the answer is clear. We have to do, each in our own way, what Jesus told us in the Sermon on the Mount.[66] In the Beatitudes, we find a portrait of the Master, which we are called to reflect in our daily lives.”(Gex 63)
TalinMan
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October 21, 2020
No Room for the Lukewarm
Chilling Out, Ciutat Vella, Barcelona
Photo library of TalinMan, 2019
For more than four months by now, this pandemic continues to intimidate society. Indeed, it is turning out to be an acid test for the survival of the fittest. It’s either you’re a survivor or not. There is no room for the lukewarm. Only time will tell.
Interestingly, a similar situation was experienced by Josemaria Escriva, during the Civil War in Spain in 1937. At that time, the young Escriva underwent a very difficult period of trial. The Republicans were persecuting the Catholic clergy. Fortunately, he was able to seek refuge in the Consulate of Honduras in Madrid. He endured more than five months of reclusion in a very small section, cramped together with more than a hundred refugees, One of the main focus of struggle that he persisted in was his fight against lukewarmness. I invite you to reflect on Point no. 16, as follows:
Point no. 16
“Give in? Be just commonplace? You, a sheep-like follower? You were born to be a leader!
Among us there is no place for the lukewarm. Humble yourself and Christ will kindle in you again the fire of love.”
St. Josemaria Escriva, The Way
Primacy of our Relationship with God
Despite being holed up in a tight space for more than five months, the young priest Escriva made sure that he fulfilled his daily norms of piety – holy mass, mental prayer, holy rosary as well as other pious customs. This was his way of protecting the primacy of his relationship with God the Father.
Nowadays, the pervasiveness of technology and social media has gone to the point of choking the spiritual development of humankind. Interestingly, Pope Francis described it quite articulately: “The same distractions that are omnipresent in today’s world also make us tend to absolutize our free time, so that we can give ourselves over completely to the devices that provide us with entertainment or ephemeral pleasures. As a result, we come to resent our mission, our commitment grows slack, and our generous and ready spirit of service begins to flag. This denatures our spiritual experience. Can any spiritual fervour be sound when it dwells alongside sloth in evangelisation or in service to others?”
Guard against the Onset of Lukewarmness
In response to the admonition of Pope Francis, the Catholic faithful ought to realize the malady of lukewarmness. Hence, the need for vigilance and mindfulness in the things we think, say or do. In his essay on Lukewarmness (“Growth in Holiness”, Chapter 25), the acclaimed spiritual writer, Father F. W. Faber warns us to be on guard against the onset of lukewarmness, as manifested by some signs:
1. constant putting off of our daily devotions;
2. negligence and lack of attention when performing them;
3. not feeling right with God;
4. acting without any intention or with indifference;
5. carelessness about growing in virtue;
6. contempt of little things and daily opportunities which, if performed, give glory to God; and
7. looking back at the good we have done rather than forward to the good we need to do in the future.
Clearly, it takes a keen sense of self-reflection to notice the onset of this disease. This is because the slothful actions appear to be seemingly inconsequential. However, as these daily small doses of passivity or neglect accumulate over time into habits, the nasty virus of sloth gains momentum and overwhelms the natural immunity of the soul. Consequently, lukewarmness sets in. This brings to the fore the need to be on guard against the onset of lukewarmness; because, if left unnoticed, it could morph into a silent killer of the soul. This is precisely why our Lord showed a particular repugnance to lukewarmness, as cited below:
¹⁵“I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot; I wish that you were cold or hot. ¹⁶So because you are lukewarm, and neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of My mouth.”
Rev 3:15-16 NASB
Remedies
Because lukewarmness kills the verve and fervor of love for God in the soul, the earlier it is detected, the better. Here are some antidotes versus lukewarmness, as prescribed by St. Josemaria Escriva, namely:
1. Fall in Love with Jesus
God loved humankind first. It’s our turn to correspond. “We must be very human, for otherwise we cannot be divine. Human love, the love we experience on earth when it is really genuine, helps us to savor divine love. That is how we grasp the love by which we rejoice in God and which we will share in heaven when the Lord is everything to everyone.” [1]
2. Work Hard, Offer It to God
Consider some of the attributes of work – “Professional work is a witness to the worth of the human creature. It provides a chance to develop one’s own personality; it creates a bond of union with others; it constitutes a fund of resources; it is a way of helping in the improvement of the society we live in, and of promoting the progress of the whole human race. For work, which Christ took up as something both redeemed and redeeming, becomes a means, a way of holiness, a specific task which sanctifies and can be sanctified.” [2]
3. Use Your Time Well during the Quarantine
“We should never have time on our hands, not even a second—and I am not exaggerating. There is work to be done. The world is a big place and there are millions of souls who have not yet heard the doctrine of Christ in all its clarity. I am addressing each one of you individually. If you have time on your hands, think again a little. It’s quite likely that you have become lukewarm; that, supernaturally speaking, you have become a cripple. You are not moving, you are at a standstill. You are barren, you are not doing all the good you should be doing to the people around you, in your environment, in your work and in your family.” [3]
4. Humble Yourself and Go Back to the Father
“To be converted you must climb via humility, along the path of self-abasement.” [4] Escrivá finds in the parable of the prodigal son the best image for the conversion worked by God’s grace, in cooperation with man: “Our Father God, when we come to him repentant, draws, from our wretchedness, treasure; from our weakness, strength…The return of a son who had betrayed him is enough for him to prepare a banquet.”[5]
TalinMan
Josemaria Escriva, Christ is Passing By, no.166
Josemaria Escriva, The Forge, no.702
Josemaria Escriva, Friends of God, no.42
Furrow, no. 278
Friends of God, no. 309
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August 1, 2020