The double effect of routine

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WHILE establishing and keeping a daily routine can have its great advantages, we should also be wary of its disadvantages that are often hidden and unperceived.

Indeed, routine can foster increased productivity, since it can help in prioritizing tasks, managing time and boosting productivity. It can also reduce stress, since it minimizes surprises and other uncertainties. It can improve our focus. If well managed, it can even enhance creativity, since it can free up mental resources that can allow us for more creative thinking.

But it also has its downside. Since routine involves repetitive tasks, it can lead us to feelings of monotony and boredom. It can also lead us to rigid ways that would adversely impact on our ability to be flexible amid changing circumstances. It can desensitize us from possibilities of innovation and creativity.

We should learn how to deal with this negative aspect of routine. We should not allow it to muffle our enthusiasm and love for God and others. The challenge is how to keep ourselves burning with love in spite of our routinary tasks. In fact, if we are clever enough like the serpent that Christ talked about, (cfr. Mt 10,16) we can even make use of these routinary tasks as a way to nourish our love for God and others.

For this, we have to see to it that we are always activating our faith, hope and charity by making frequent acts of faith, hope and charity in spite of the lack of gusto for them. Much like everything else in our life, there are things that we should just do even if do not feel like doing them simply because they are necessary to us. These frequent acts of faith, hope and charity can do a lot of wonder and can fan into a flame our waning enthusiasm and love for God and others.

These theological virtues, these God-given gifts are the ones that enable us to live our life in a way that is full of love, the love that comes from God himself. It’s a love that always renews itself, not allowing itself to get accustomed, much less, bored by what we do everyday.

As the Catechism would put it, these theological virtues “bestow on one the capacity to live in a relationship with the Trinity. They are the foundation and the energizing force of the Christian’s moral activity and they give life to the human virtues.” (CCC 384)

With this love that the theological virtues impart on us, everything will always strike us as something new. With it, the prose of everyday life is somehow converted into beautiful verses that are engaging to both the body and the soul, the heart and the mind.

With this love, we can manage to see beauty and find meaning in everything, even in things, events and situations that humanly speaking are not pleasant. With it we can manage to escape from the shallow and narrow appreciation that our senses and our human understanding can achieve of things in general. It lets us go to the deeper and higher levels of reality.

This love enables us to relate the material to the spiritual, the mundane to the sacred, the temporal to the eternal, the natural to supernatural. It connects us and everything else to God, the source of all good things.

Obviously, while these theological virtues are divine gratuitous gifts to us, we also have to do our part to take care of them well, otherwise they would have no effect on us. Thus, we need to develop the corresponding human virtues which the theological virtues are meant to animate. We can never overemphasize this point.

The world of spirits

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

ON the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, celebrated on September 29, we are reminded of this mostly overlooked world of spirits, mainly composed of angels and demons. What is even more disturbing is the personal impression that more people seem to be more aware and concerned about demons than about angels.

We need to strengthen our belief and awareness of the great help angels can offer us. They actually are powerful and very benevolent beings who play a very significant role in our life, providing us with protection, guidance and even communication with the divine. They make themselves effective intermediaries or messengers who carry out the divine will for our own good, offering us support in our earthly sojourn.

Angels are always attentive to our needs, even when we are unaware of them. They help us to face challenges, trials and difficulties in our life. They can inspire acts of love, compassion and forgiveness, especially in those moments when we find it hard to do them.

Regarding the archangels, our Christian faith considers them as powerful intermediaries between God and man. They are made as messengers of God for a specific purpose, playing a crucial role in guiding, inspiring and safeguarding individuals and the world in general.

The Archangel Gabriel, for example, was made to deliver a very important message of God to the Blessed Virgin that occasioned the very conception of the Son of God, our Redeemer, in the virginal womb of Our Lady.

The Archangel Michael is made as our powerful protector against evil spirits. He is actually seen as the warrior who leads the heavenly hosts against the forces of evil. He is considered a protector of the Church. He is also regarded as the angel of death who guides souls to the afterlife.

The Archangel Raphael, whose name means “God’s remedy,” was the one who helped the youth Tobias to carry out the errand of his father and to meet his wife and rid her of demonic possession, as well as healed the blindness of Tobit, Tobias’ father. (cfr. Tobit 12) We can just imagine what he can do for us! Thus, he is often associated with healing and often invoked for physical and emotional well-being.

It’s important that we be aware of the existence of these very powerful archangels who, for sure, would be most willing and most happy to help us in their own way. We just have to enliven our faith in them and develop the appropriate devotion.

Many great saints have benefited from the help of these archangels. For one, St. Josemaria Escriva, the founder of Opus Dei, entrusted to them the tremendous apostolic work he and the faithful of Opus Dei have to carry out till the end of time.

It would be good if we train ourselves to develop an intimate relationship with them. To be sure, only good things can come out of such a relationship! They definitely would be a great help in our most important duty of seeking holiness and of cooperating with Christ in the on-going work of human redemption.

We cannot overemphasize the tremendous challenges we face in these areas and we should just seek the help of these very powerful allies who are all too willing to help us. We should just grow in our faith in them, supporting it with the appropriate acts of piety and devotion.

We are meant to give and share

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THAT’S the lesson we can get when Christ said that “no one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light.” (Lk 8,16)

And he continued by saying that “there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light,” practically warning us that there is really no point keeping secrets because in the end everything will be known. 

We should be as transparent as possible. The only exception is when, given our limited and wounded human condition, we need to practice some discretion since certain matters are subject to confidentiality for one legitimate reason or another.

And then Christ rounded up the whole thing by saying that “to anyone who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he seems to have will be taken away.” This obviously is a very clear indication that we really need to give and share what God has given and shared with us.

We need to understand that our life, whether considered in its purely natural aspect or in its supernaturally oriented spiritual dimension, that is, particularly our Christian life, is by definition a shared life. It’s a shared life with God and with everybody and everything else.

I think we need to be reminded of this fundamental truth about ourselves, since there are now many tricky factors around us that tend to undermine this important character of our life. They make us think our life is just our own.

In fact, I would say that we need to develop the skills not only to protect and keep this property of our life, but also to continually reinforce and enhance it. That’s because our life is always a dynamic affair, with new challenges and changing circumstances.

We cannot remain naïve and think that our life more or less would just automatically be a shared life. Some people say so, because they claim we cannot avoid sharing our life with others.

To a certain extent, that assertion is true. But neither can we be blind to the fact that we and the world in general have ways, often subtle and deceptive, that effectively negate this shared characteristic of our life. 

But why is our life a shared life? Firstly, because that’s how we are made, how we have been hard-wired. That we have intelligence and will, that we have feelings, memory, imagination, etc., can only show we are meant to be with others, we are meant to go out of our own world. They are not there just for our own private enjoyment.

But more importantly, especially for those with Christian faith, it’s because God created us that way. We are the image and likeness of God, elevated through grace to be nothing less than children of his. 

And since God is love, and is self-giving, we therefore cannot be other than that—that is, we are meant to love also and to give ourselves to others. Thus, God’s commandments to us always exhort us to love, first Him, and then everybody else.

We actually are sharers of God’s divine life. Of course, with the misuse of our freedom, we can lose that most sublime privilege. But there is no doubt, through faith, that we are meant to share in God’s life.

And we should give our all in sharing what we have with God first, and then with everybody else as a consequence!

Sorrow vs. sadness

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

ON the Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows, liturgically celebrated on September 15 that immediately follows the celebration of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, we are reminded, with the help of Our Lady, about the distinction between sorrow and sadness that can befall us anytime.

It is important that we know this distinction so that we would also know how to handle these two conditions that definitely can significantly affect our lives. First of all, we should realize that we are meant to be joyful always, irrespective of how things go. And this can only take place if we truly are with Christ who said:

“If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and your joy may be complete.” (Jn 15,10-11)

We need to see to it that we manage to be with joy, the joy of Christ, especially when we encounter the unavoidable suffering in this life. Joy is actually what is proper to us. This is where the distinction between sadness and sorrow can be made.

St. Thomas Aquinas once said that “sadness is a vice caused by a disordered self-love, and this self-love is not a special vice, but the general root of the vices.” We need to distinguish it from sorrow which is a kind of low feeling over the loss of someone or something or over some negative and difficult conditions that we can have. But it’s a low feeling that does not take away the joy of being with Christ.

That is why there can still be joy in suffering, in the cross, if we only know how to be with Christ in those situations. This is when we can be in sorrow but not in sadness. The former still has joy while the latter has lost it. With Christ, and with Our Lady who fully identified herself with her Son, we can manage to find meaning and the assurance of redemption, in suffering and all the way to death. We can still manage to have joy.

The challenge for us is how to be with Christ and with our Lady whenever we encounter difficulties and other negative conditions in our life. Yes, we can find joy in suffering only if we identify ourselves with Christ. With him, suffering becomes an act of selfless love that can take on anything. With him, suffering loses its purely negative and painful character, and assumes the happy salvific character.

We need to process this truth of our faith thoroughly, always asking for God’s grace and training all our powers and faculties to adapt to this reality. That’s why Christ told us clearly that if we want to follow him, we simply have to deny ourselves, carry the cross and follow him. There’s no other formula, given our wounded human condition.

This self-denial and carrying of Christ’s cross will enable us to see that suffering is obviously the consequence of all our sins—ours and those of others. Embracing suffering the way Christ embraced his cross unites our suffering with the redemptive suffering of Christ. 

Our motive for it is like that of Christ. It’s the desire to conquer that suffering and ultimately our death through his death and resurrection. It’s obeying God’s will just like Christ obeyed his Father’s will. “Not my will but yours be done.”

This is where we can be in sorrow but not in sadness.

A great reason to rejoice

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

YES, indeed, we have great reason to rejoice as we celebrate the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It’s on this day that we are somehow assured that God and man share the same life and nature! That God can become man and that a woman can be the mother of God simply prove that.

With the Virgin’s birth, we are given a preview of the greatest work on earth—the salvation of mankind—accomplished by the Son of God made man and with the full cooperation of a woman, the Blessed Virgin. Mary paved the way for the salvation of mankind by giving birth to the Redeemer who would ultimately conquer sin and death through his sacrifice.

The Virgin Mary is the “new Eve” who with her full obedience of faith to God’s will “cured” the disobedience of the original Eve. She is the best example for all of us in terms of how we have to trust in God and follow his will.

While only Christ is the mediator of salvation, Mary somehow is the closest person who cooperated in human redemption. She continues to play this role with her ever-powerful intercession, presenting our needs and prayers to God. She is regarded as our spiritual mother, guiding and protecting us and the Church.

She is truly a mother to us too, ever solicitous of our needs and most interested in our own salvation. This she does with her invincible fidelity to the will and ways of God, showing us also how to be faithful even if there are things that we do not understand or are contradictory to our liking.

She faithfully mirrors the life and mission of Christ. She is the ideal model of a true disciple of Christ. She followed Christ with thoughtfulness, reflection, obedience and faith, and now inspires us to follow Christ also with similar devotion and dedication.

We should not hesitate to go to her, asking for her intercession, whenever we are faced with challenges and trials that are difficult or even impossible to tackle and resolve. Like her, we may be subjected also to the most painful of suffering, but let’s never forget that there is glorification assured as long as we are faithful to Christ through Mary.

With Mary, we are brought closer to Christ. As one saint would put it, she is the “shortest, safest and surest way to Christ.” She is the one who knows Christ best and how to deal with him properly. She certainly helps us to understand Christ’s teachings and to live them out in our daily lives.

With her, too, precisely because of her full identification with the will of God, we would find ourselves drawn with love to everybody else. She would put our love and concern for the others in synch with Christ’s love for all of us.

It, indeed, is highly recommendable that we develop a deep devotion to the Blessed Virgin. We would have nothing to lose. On the contrary, we would have everything to gain. With her we can face all kinds of conditions in life and yet manage to have faith, hope and charity burning in our hearts.

To be sure, with her we can manage to become more patient, kind and forgiving, contributing to stronger and more loving relationships with those around us. Let us be truly Marian to be truly Christian!

Logic alone cannot hack it

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WHILE logic will always have an important role to play in our life, we should also realize that logic alone cannot cope with all the realities that we have to deal with in our life. Our logic can only work within the natural plane and our human level. It can hardly manage to take on realities that are spiritual and supernatural, let alone, divine wisdom which in the end should always guide us.

How can human logic, for example, understand such Christian teachings as to love our enemies, to die in order to live, to be the last in order to be the first, the master has to be first a servant, a virgin giving birth, etc.? That’s when our logic would just be kaput.

To be guided by human logic alone unavoidably would lead us to be judgmental and self-righteous. This was what happened to some of the leading Jews during Christ’s time. Lacking in humility, their faith was undermined and they ended up not only misjudging Christ but also crucifying him.

We have to be humble enough to acknowledge that our logic-certainties can never cope with the mysteries of life. No matter how objective and scientific these certainties are derived, no matter how deep and exhaustive our philosophies, theologies and ideologies are made, our certainties just cannot take all the mysteries in our life.

Even in the world of nature where in theory we have the capacity to know things conclusively, we often find ourselves in situations of tentativeness and even of outright error. That is why we are always in the process of discoveries and we would not know when we can end it, that is to say, when we can say that we have known everything to be known in the world of nature.

This does not mean that our certainties can never know the truth, even the absolute, and not just relative, truths. Yes, we can, but the best that we can do is to project ourselves to infinite possibilities, because even the absolute truths are not things that are frozen. They are always dynamic.

Our logical certainties can only tackle some aspects and levels of the reality that is proper to us. We need to realize more deeply that we have to contend not only with natural and even spiritual realities but also with supernatural realities that simply are above our nature to know, unless some revelation is made which should be corresponded to with our act of belief.

Indeed, we have to be truly humble to acknowledge this fact of life and behave accordingly. While we can know some aspects of the truth, we can never say that we know everything. Not even our mathematical precision and scientific accuracy can warrant us to claim that we know everything.

That is why we need to be most careful with our judgments. We have to judge fairly, that is, with love of God and neighbor as the main motive for judging. From the Book of Leviticus, we read: “You shall not act dishonestly in rendering judgment. Show neither partiality to the weak nor deference to the mighty, but judge your fellow men justly.” (19,15)

If we have love for God and neighbor as the main motive for judging, we would know what to say, how to say it, and when to say it. And somehow, we can manage to judge all things, just as St. Paul once said: “He that is spiritual judges all things, yet he himself is judged of no man.” (1 Cor 2,15)

The art of ending the day well

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

YES, we have to learn the art of how to end our day well. That’s because it is our way also of how to end our life well, ready to meet God in judgment. We just have to be realistic about the real purpose of our life here on earth, so that we avoid getting entangled in things that are not actually necessary for us even if they seem to us as indispensable at the moment.

We are reminded of this need in that gospel episode where someone asked Christ to mediate on the inheritance issue with that person’s brother. (cfr. Lk 12,13-21) Of course, Christ, knowing the motive of that fellow, refused to do so. Instead, he reminded the person to focus more on what truly matters in life, that is, to seek the real treasure. Rather than focusing on earthly treasures, he told him to be “rich in matters of God.”

In our daily life, we should have a running account, so to speak, of how our life is going in terms of achieving its real purpose. We are not here mainly for earthly gains, although they figure as a means to pursue our real goal. We are here to gain our own sanctification through all the events and circumstances of our life, whether ordinary or extraordinary.

Let us remember that every moment in our life, irrespective of how it affects us—whether good or bad according to some earthly or temporal criteria—is an occasion to interact with God who always intervenes in our life, testing us but also guiding us and giving us all the means that we need. Yes, we have to be aware that every moment is a moment for sanctification.

We need to train ourselves to think that way and to act accordingly. That’s why we need to have some running account of how we are faring in this ultimate concern of ours in this life. And so, at the end of the day, we should make some kind of accounting to see if we are progressing or not, if there are things to be improved or to be more focused on, if we are equipping ourselves adequately to pursue our real goal, etc.

The ideal thing to happen is that at the end of the day, before going to bed, we should make some kind of examination of conscience so we would have a good idea of how things are going in our life. This way, we would always be ready to face God in judgment.

We have to learn to leave our earthly and temporal concerns so that we can focus more on the definitive eternal life that is promised to us. This is just to be realistic about our life, cutting away whatever fantastic and fictional ideas we have about our life here on earth.

To be sure, this will give us a lot of confidence and hope no matter how things go. We would know what to do, both in good times and in bad times. The only thing necessary is to do the will of God which, as Christ spelled out to us, can involve denying ourselves, carrying the cross and following Christ himself wherever he leads us. (cfr. Mt 16,24)

We avoid getting entangled in an unnecessary drama that would only complicate our life without leading us to where we should be in the end.

Complexities, opportunities, dangers

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THAT’S what we are facing these days. We actually have been having them for quite a while now, but these days, with the advent of AI—and we can expect more advanced technologies in the coming years—things have become exponentially more complicated.

How should we handle this condition such that we can manage not to be trapped by them and diverted from our true goal in life? Perhaps, we can get some ideas from these words of Christ in the gospel.

“The kingdom of heaven is like unto a treasure hidden in a field, which a man having found, hid it, and for joy thereof goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field.” (Mt 13,44) Reiterating the same point, he said: “Again the kingdom of heaven like a merchant seeking good pearls. When he had found one pearl of great price, he went his way, and sold all that he had, and bought it.” (Mt 13,45-46)

In other words, to successfully navigate in these complicated times, we need to see to it that while we immerse ourselves in these powerful things of today’s world, we have to practice a certain kind of detachment from them so that our pursuit for the kingdom of heaven is not undermined, much less, compromised.

But let’s remember that detachment here does not mean that we run away from the things of the world. We have to take advantage of the good opportunities these new and very powerful technologies offer. I am happy, for example, that many young people today are going into start-ups that are helping them and the economy on the whole.

The detachment we are speaking of here simply means that we are clear and strong about the goal we are supposed to pursue. The things of this world are simply means, occasions and reasons for us to go on with that pursuit. We should not allow them to entangle us along the way.

This certainly means that we should have a working and healthy spiritual life, a constant and intimate relation with God and with everybody else that is always nourished by the appropriate practices of piety, like regular periods of prayer and meditation, recourse to the sacraments, undergoing continuing formation and spiritual guidance, etc.

These practices of piety are much more needed now than before. They should be taught and popularized as widely as possible, focusing more on the young ones who are very vulnerable to be confused and lost in these complicated times. We cannot deny that nowadays we are witnessing a massive leap of juvenile cases of vices and perversions, addictions, mental and psychological illnesses, suicides, etc.

We need to remind everyone of the need to have the proper intentions in this life. To put it bluntly, the ultimate intention that is proper to us is that of doing everything for the glory of God. If that intention is not clear, we surely would be treading on a dangerous path that most likely would lead us to a bad end.

If there is such a thing as upskilling, that is, acquiring additional skills and capabilities, we should first of all “upskill” our spiritual life and the virtues involved, like prudence, detachment, etc. in order to face the complexities, opportunities and dangers of our times.

The challenge of our times actually invites us to grow more in our spiritual life, in our love for God and for others.

No showing off if love is pure

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THAT’S what we can get from the gospel story about the two sisters, Martha and Mary. (cfr. Lk 10,38-42) If love is pure, we would not show off the things we do, baiting for praises; we would not compare ourselves with others to see if we are better lovers; we would just give and give without counting the cost; we would give our whole heart unconditionally to our beloved who in the end is God!

The problem with Martha was precisely that of comparing her love with what she saw was the inferior kind of love her sister, Mary, showed to Christ. It’s a phenomenon that, sad to say, is very common since time immemorial, and especially these days when the hunger for recognition seems to be sharper among many people in general.

Many people today like to flaunt the good things they do. They like to compare themselves with others. They even go to the extent of indulging in virtue signalling their own deeds while gaslighting those whom they consider to be not as good as they are.

To have pure love, we have to start with the purity of our intentions, since they express who and where in the end we want to be. Do we choose to be with God completely, or do we play games trying to do things for others when in fact things are done more for ourselves?

             

             We need to realize then that we have to take utmost care of our intention, making it as explicit as possible, and honing it to get engaged with its proper and ultimate object, who is God. 

We should try our best to shun being simply casual or cavalier about this responsibility. We can easily play around with it, since intentions are almost invariably hidden from public knowledge. We are urged to be most sincere in directing our intentions properly.

We can easily fall into hypocrisy and deception, doing what can appear good externally but is not internally, since we could refuse giving glory to God, which is the proper intention to have, and instead feed and stir our vanity, pride, greed, lust, etc.

If our love is pure, we would do a lot of good while passing unnoticed. All the glory should belong to God. We have to rid ourselves of any signs that would show that we want to divert the glory, even if only partially, to ourselves.

We are reminded of this danger when Christ said, “Take care not to perform righteous deeds in order that people may see them; otherwise, you will have no recompense from your heavenly Father.” (Mt 6,1)

And he continued by saying, “When you give alms, do not blow a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets to win the praise of others. Amen, I say to you, they have received their reward.” (6,2)

As we can see, the intention of our human acts plays a crucial role. With it, we can determine whether we are truly good and moral, or are simply playing around, playing the game of hypocrisy, appearing righteous when we truly are not.

We know that with our intention, we can direct our acts to God, following what was once indicated by St. Paul, “Whether you eat or drink, or whatsoever else you do, do all to the glory of God.” (1 Cor 10,31) That’s how our acts become good, or moral, an expression of pure love. Otherwise, they are bad, or at least dangerous.

Our tendency to be impenitent

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

“THEN began he to upbraid the cities wherein were done the most of his miracles, for they had not done penance. ‘Woe to thee, Corozain, woe to thee, Bethsaida: for if in Tyre and Sidon had been wrought the miracles that have been wrought in you, they had long ago done penance in sackcloth and ashes.’” (Mt 11,20-21)

Thus lamented Christ over the people he had been giving a lot of favors. It’s a lament that continues to take place up to now, since we cannot deny that despite all the good things we have been having over the years, we still continue to be impenitent over our weaknesses, mistakes and sins.

While it’s a given that we cannot avoid sin, considering our wounded condition, it should also be given that we need to also have an abiding need for penance. Nowadays, it would look like while our sinfulness has become worse, our duty to do penance is practically neglected. 

The sense of sin is being aggressively undermined. And that’s simply because we are not anymore referring things to God. We are simply referring them to our own ideas. The clear distinction between good and evil is practically erased.

Our sense of penance is in crisis because our idea of what is good and evil is now reduced to our personal preferences, or at best to what can be termed as our social, political, cultural or even ideological consensus. Our legal system is often regarded as explicitly atheistic or agnostic, to free it from the so-called religious bias.

We need to make an effort, even a worldwide campaign, to boost our spirit of penance, explaining our dire necessity for it and the ineffable benefits we can derive from it.

The spirit of penance is not actually something that is dark, negative, painful, etc. It’s not something we should run away from. In fact, it’s not something that we should just bear and tolerate since we cannot avoid it. 

We need to embrace it, to love it, and thus, we have to develop that spirit as best that we can. It is actually something beautiful, since it is purifying and liberating. It recovers us from our wounded condition and reinforces our dignity as persons and children of God.

We need to develop and live this spirit of penance because it is clear that sin continues to dominate us in this life. In fact, it is quite clear that things are getting worse. There are now powerful and well-established structures of sin in our midst before which we are simply an easy prey.

The networks of corruption, pornography, godless and worldly ideologies, etc. are proliferating, taking advantage of the powerful technologies and the relative vulnerability of many people, especially the young ones, who are not yet prepared to properly handle these networks.

The virtue of penance should include the desire and practice of regular and frequent recourse to the sacrament of penance, where through the ministry of priests, Christ comes to us as father, friend, judge and doctor. This sacrament not only reconciles us with God, but also repairs whatever damage our sin would cause on others and the Church in general.

This virtue of penance also includes the desire and practice of continuing atonement and reparation. This can be done in many ways—exerting greater effort to pray, being more generous with our sacrifices and daily self-denials, especially in food, drink, and comfort. It can be done also by doing many corporal and spiritual works of mercy, etc.

The war for peace

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

IT’S, of course, intriguing that while Christ is known to often greet his disciples with peace, as in “Peace be with you” (cfr. Jn 20,19; Jn 20,21), he also said at one time: “Do not think that I came to send peace upon earth; I came not to send peace, but the sword.” (Mt 10,34)

Christ is supposed to be the Prince of Peace. (cfr Is 9,6) At his birth, a host of angels sang praises to him: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men with whom he is pleased!” (Lk 2,13) Then why did he say he has not come to establish peace on the earth?

We have to understand that the sword Christ mentioned here does not mean to be destructive but rather constructive, driven by love and the desire to be united with God and with the others in a way proper to us as children of God and brothers and sisters among ourselves.

Our life here on earth cannot but be in some form of struggle. Aside from our innate urge to grow and develop that requires some effort, we also have to contend with the enemies of God and of our soul, whose sole intent is precisely to bring us down, to divert us from our proper path toward holiness.

We are not simply ranged against natural difficulties, challenges and trials in life, but also against very powerful and subtle nemeses. The natural enemies alone are already formidable.

But we still have enemies tougher than these. As St. Paul said, “Our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and power, against the rulers of the world of darkness, against the spirits of wickedness in the high places.” (Eph 6,12)

Truth is many people—in fact, I would say all of us one way or another—are looking for effective ways to develop our spiritual life and to be skillful in the unavoidable spiritual warfare in this life.

People, including the young ones whose stirring for the spiritual can be sharp and intense if hidden, want to know, for example, how to pray, or how to keep it going amid the many concerns in life. Getting engaged with God all throughout the day eludes them.

The answer could very well be that war and peace somehow go together. To have peace, some war has to be waged. It cannot be any other way. A peace without a war, given our wounded condition, is a false peace.

And that’s simply because our life here on earth necessarily involves some warfare. The forces of good and evil do their battle all over the place, first in the hearts of men and then in many other arenas—practically in all the fields where human freedom is involved.

It’s true that peace is part of the ultimate goal all of us are seeking. It’s part of that inmost longing for joy that every human heart possesses. But to have that peace, we need to wage war precisely against those forces and elements that would undermine our pristine desire for endless peace.

That is how we have to understand those words of Christ cited above. He wants us to make war against the enemies of God and of men. And this war can take very subtle forms as when we have to contend with the so-called sweet poisons. We should always be on guard, and prepared to do battle against anything that goes against our own true good.

The pursuit for unity of life

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

IF we really know what the real and ultimate purpose of our life here on earth is, for sure we would do everything to organize our life in such a way that all the elements involved would work together to pursue that purpose.

This is what we may call as the duty to develop a sense of unity of life, where we integrate everything in our life, starting with our ordinary activities and work, our prayer and other responsibilities—social, family, apostolic, etc.—into a constant occasion to sanctify ourselves, i.e., to always do God’s will.

In this way, we would be affirming our true identity as children of God who wants us to be like him. That is why in the gospel, Christ always compares us with God our Father. “Be holy as your heavenly Father is holy,” he said. “Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect.” (Mt 5,48)

We have to learn to turn everything into an occasion, means and reason to know, love and serve God, and to do the same to everybody else, since our relation with God is always developed through our relation with others and with everything else in our life here on earth.

This would mean that we have to learn how to find God in our daily lives and in all the events and circumstances of our life. If we have the proper frame of mind that is guided by our Christian faith, we know that everything can and should be sanctified, and by so doing, we also sanctify ourselves and others.

We should never forget that our life is not only biological, it relies simply on our biological functions. Neither is it just purely physical or material that requires merely material nourishment.

Our life has many more important aspects and dimensions that need to be integrated into one whole consistent thing. There’s the manual and intellectual, the active and contemplative, personal and social, the material and spiritual, the temporal and eternal, etc.

And precisely because of our spiritual nature, we open ourselves to a supernatural level. That’s just how the cookie crumbles. Thus, we should also be aware of what is natural and supernatural in our life, the mundane and the sacred.

I must say that of the different pairs of distinctions among the aspects of our life, that of the natural and supernatural is the most tricky, and therefore the most ignored, the least appreciated and lived with consistency.

And yet, we also have this intriguing reality that a good portion of the people all over the world, usually the poor and simple, automatically realize that our life has both these natural and supernatural dimensions.

The challenge we have is how to integrate all these elements in such a way that we live this unity of life as much as possible with uninterrupted consistency and continuity. This would definitely require God’s grace, first of all, and our all-out effort. 

There will always be a need for daily struggle. It would be helpful that as soon as possible we realize and start to do something about it. We may never reach perfection in this regard, but at least we can try and try, making progress little by little.

To be sure, it will be a very demanding life that we should have, but also one that would give us a certain sense of inner joy and peace that the world cannot give. 

The mark of a true Christian

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

CHRIST described it very clearly. This is how he said it: 

“You have heard that it has been said, You shall love your neighbor, and hate your enemy. But I say to you, "Love your enemies, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that persecute and calumniate you.”

And then he made this conclusion: “That you may be children of your Father who is in heaven, who makes his sun rise upon the good, and bad, and rains upon the just and the unjust.” (Mt 5,43-45)

This is, of course, beyond our human powers in their natural state. But when animated by God’s grace, our natural human powers can assume the divine capacity to love everyone, irrespective of how they are to us, whether friendly or hostile, likeable or unlikeable, etc.

It’s when we manage to love our enemies that we prove our commitment to God, a commitment that springs from our conversion of heart. Though we continue to be hounded by temptations and sin, and fall into them from time to time, we also would struggle to begin and begin again, renewing and reaffirming our commitment as often as necessary.

This obviously will require a lot of virtues—humility, patience, magnanimity, fortitude, to mention a few. We have to learn how to discipline our emotions and passions, and to be most careful with what we say and how we react to things. We have to be quick to purify our thoughts and intentions whenever some negative elements enter into them.

Let’s remember that the greatest evil and the worst injustice have already been committed, and that is the killing of Christ by man. But such evil and injustice did not elicit another evil reaction from Christ. On the contrary, he offered forgiveness. We do not correct a wrong with another wrong. As one saint would put it, we have to drown evil with an abundance of good.

To be able to love our enemies even as we try our best to resolve with justice and charity our differences, conflicts and other issues is clearly a sign of being Christ-like. It could be the proof that one’s Christianity is real and genuine, and not fake.

We have to be ready to develop and assume this attitude, always asking first of all for the grace of God and trying to have the very mind and heart of Christ. We also need to discipline our reactions and to train our emotions to conform to this basic Christian standard.

Yes, this ideal can only be possible and doable with God’s grace and the constant effort to assume the very mind and heart of Christ. We should never take this requirement for granted.

This will require tremendous effort, of course, but once done, we will surely feel the way Christ felt even in his most difficult moment when he had to suffer his passion and death on the cross. That’s when we can echo St. Paul’s words: “I no longer live, but Christ lives in me.” (Gal 2,20)

Let us brace ourselves to face this challenge of becoming true Christians. Let’s make our Christianity really work, especially in difficult moments. Christ never abandons us, and he is willing to go through the experience with us. We just have to do our part, that is, to go to him, and follow him as best that we can.

Indeed, loving enemies is a sure mark of a true Christian!

True love goes beyond common sense

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THAT’S quite obvious if we would just consider these clear words of Christ. “I say to you not to resist evil: but if one strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him also the other. And if a man will contend with you in judgment, and take away your coat, let go your cloak also to him. And whoever will force you one mile, go with him other two. Give to him that asks of you and from that would borrow from you, turn him not away.” (Mt 5, 39-42)

We should train ourselves to live by this standard because this is what true love really is. It’s not just a matter of loving the lovable. The authenticity of our love is proven when it is given even, and most especially, to the unlovable. That’s what Christ himself has shown us with his passion and death on the cross to bear and conquer all our sins. He even went to the extent to offering forgiveness to those who crucified him.

            It’s in the very essence of love to give oneself without measure, without calculation, without expecting any return. It just gives and gives, even if along the way it encounters difficulties, rejection, suffering. It embraces them, not flee from them. By its nature, it is given gratuitously. 

Love engenders generosity and its relatives: magnanimity, magnificence, compassion, patience, pity, etc. This is the language of love, the currencies it uses. It thinks big, even if the matter involved is small according to human standards. In fact, it’s love that makes small, ordinary things big and special.  

That’s in theory. In practice, though, there can be elements that put limits and conditions to that love. This can be due to a number of reasons. One, because man grows by stages, and his capacity to love also develops in stages. It goes through a development timeline, much like one’s growth timeline from childhood to adulthood and maturity.      

      Thus, philosophers have distinguished more or less like 3 kinds or stages of love: “eros,” where one loves another because of what he can get from that other person. This usually happens among children who love others mainly because of what they can get in return from others. That’s very understandable.   

Then, there’s “filia,” where one loves another because he shares the same things—interests, likes and dislikes—with that person. This is typical of young boys and girls who happen to like sharing things among themselves.      

Then, there’s the final stage of “agape,” where one loves another because they just want to, without expecting any return, and continues to love even if that love is unreciprocated, or worse, rejected. This is the love of the truly mature persons, and definitely of heroes and saints.      

This kind of love definitely would require us to learn how to be magnanimous, enlarging our heart to make it more universal to accommodate everyone and any situation and condition properly. We have to see to it that our thoughts, desires and intentions, our words and deeds are always animated by charity. There should be no negative elements in them, even if we notice the defects, mistakes and sins of others, and even if they have wronged us.

For this, we need to have a good grip on our emotions, able to dominate and properly orient our biases, preferences and other idiosyncrasies that constitute our differences and even conflicts with the others.

We have to learn to focus more on what we have in common rather than on what divides. And what we all ultimately have in common is that we are all children of God, brothers and sisters of each other, meant to care and love each other.

Expect suffering if we follow Christ

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THAT’S how the cookie crumbles. If we choose to follow Christ as consistently as possible, we should expect suffering along the way and at the end. In fact, suffering would be an abiding companion in our life. 

We can draw this conclusion from that gospel episode where Christ asked Peter three times if Peter loved him. (cfr. Jn 21,15-19) After Peter professed his love for Christ in a most fervent way after being asked for the third time, Christ told him what would happen to him.

“Amen, amen I say to thee, when you were younger, you girded yourself, and walked where you wanted. But when you shall be old, you shall stretch forth your hands, and another shall gird you, and lead you where you would rather not go,” Christ told him. “And this he said, signifying by what death he should glorify God. And when he had said this, he said to him: Follow me.” (Jn 21,18-19)

What can immediately come to mind is that to be truly in love with Christ and to follow him as we should, we should not be surprised if suffering would come our way. In fact, we have to expect it and be prepared for it, understanding it as the clearest sign of love, of being with Christ. A love without suffering is not true love.

And this suffering comes in the first place from our own selves, from our own wounded flesh that would always try to go on its own way and law even if it goes against our very own nature and against God’s law. This predicament will always be with us all the way to our death, no matter how determined we are in trying to live a holy and chaste life.

Besides, we have to contend with the many problematic things in this world—a lot of misunderstanding, persecution, injustice, etc. And there’s also the devil who will never take a break from tempting us. He will always cling to us like a leech.

We need to be clear about this truth of our faith. If we really want to truly love, we should be willing to suffer out of love for God and for all souls. We need to realize that the willingness to suffer is the ultimate proof that our love is genuine. Love should not just be a matter of goodwill, of benevolence, of doing some good to others. It has to go all the way to an eagerness to suffer for the others.

This is what Christ has done for us and has commanded us to do. Being both God and man, Christ should be seen by us as the epitome of true love which is the very essence of God that is also meant for us since we are supposed to be God’s image and likeness.

In showing us that love where the willingness to suffer is highlighted, St. Paul made this description of Christ: “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped.

“Rather, he emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.” (Phil 2,5-8)

We have to be willing to suffer the way Christ suffered for all of us. That is what true love is. No wonder that Christ himself said: “Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (Jn 15,13)

Unconditional love

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THERE is no doubt that this is the kind of love that Christ is showing us and is commanding us to also live. “Love one another as I have loved you,” he said. (Jn 13,34) And we know that he went all the way by offering his life on the cross for all our sins, offering us mercy even if we have not yet asked for it.

He not only became a man to identify himself with us all the way to our worst condition. Not only did he proclaim the Good News to us. Not only did he work wonderful miracles that alleviated and continue to alleviate our wounded condition here on earth. 

He had to offer his life in the most ignominious way, not minding the worst injustice that can be committed in this world, since he was completely innocent and sinless and yet was given the worst punishment.

We should meditate often on the passion and death of Christ if only to be inspired as to what real love is, the love that we also are supposed to live also. We know that Christ’s love has a universal scope. It covers everyone, the saintly and the sinful, the friendly and the hostile, the likeable and the hateful, the hero and the villain, etc.

This is, of course, a tremendous, if not an impossible, challenge for us. But we should not waste time agonizing over the thought of how this can be tackled. If we have faith, one that is operative, we know that what is impossible to us can be made possible because Christ himself has assured us of his grace.

We have to realize that this kind of love is first of all supernatural. It is not simply human and natural love, depending only on some natural conditions and forces. And Christ is ever eager to share this kind of love with us. Things would just depend on how receptive and responsive we are to God’s grace.

On our part, we should just try our best to develop the appropriate virtues needed for this kind of love to be lived by us. This will take time, of course. In fact, it will involve our whole life. But we should just go through the discipline required, developing the appropriate requirements gradually and at one step at a time.

This will obviously involve times when we succeed and also times when we fail. But however things go, we should just move on, rectifying and growing in that kind of love. To be sure, we need to be tough. And it would also be helpful if we equip ourselves with a healthy sporting spirit and a good sense of humor. Whether we win or lose in a particular battle of love, we should just go on.

We have to learn how to be understanding and compassionate with everyone, always taking the initiative to reach out to others. We have to learn how to be adaptive to everyone, to be all things to all men as St. Paul once said. (cfr. 1 Cor 9,22)

We have to learn how to give ourselves to everyone without expecting any return, eager to offer mercy to those who may have done us wrong, and to ask for forgiveness once we ourselves can offend others.

There should never be the dregs of whatever resentment and critical thoughts in our hearts. On the contrary, we should always show affection to everyone, irrespective of how they are to us. We should be willing to suffer for others.

“Your sorrow will be turned into joy”

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WHAT reassuring words Christ was addressing to his disciples, and now to us! While it is a given that we will have all kinds of sorrows in this life, we should avoid falling into a state of sadness that can only mean that we are not with Christ, that we do not believe him.

But if by our faith we stick to this promise of Christ, we know that our sorrows indeed will become joy that will also give us peace, a peace that is not of the worldly kind, but one that comes from Christ himself.

We need to know the real nature and character of this virtue of joy, now facing possible extinction amid the complicated air of modern times. It sadly has suffered many distortions lately such that its common understanding is now quite off the mark.

We also need to update our ability to develop and strengthen it, realistically factoring elements that now define our lives, as well as acquiring the relevant skills and art to effectively tackle our tricky times.

We cannot remain at the superficial level, restricting joy as a function only of biological, emotional, social causes, etc. Joy has deeper roots that go all the way to our Creator. We need to realize this truth more deeply, and do all, helping one another, to work out the proper mentality and culture of joy for one and all.

As such, joy has an eminently spiritual and supernatural nature. To develop it, we need faith, hope and charity, we need to pray and appreciate and live the value of sacrifice, and everything else that goes with these elements. 

It has to go all the way to the theological level as well as to the most cutting-edge practical skills we can get. The complexities and challenges of our times demand nothing less.

We have to wean ourselves from that childish notion that joy is just an emotional thing or some chemical or biological phenomenon that can be affected by certain drugs, potions and therapeutic exercises. Joy is neither just a matter of character or temperament.

Not that these things do not contribute anything. They do, and we need to give due consideration to their objective good effects as well as to the objective needs and conditions, both good and bad, of our body in all their aspects.

But we have to understand that they only play a secondary and instrumental role. They are useless if they are not attached to the real source of joy, and that’s nothing less than God himself.

Without God, these elements have no other way but to sooner or later succumb to our weaknesses, to the temptations around and eventually to death. With God, we can always find ways to go on and ultimately enter into eternal life.

Certainly, we need to be very discerning in knowing the actual state and conditions of our life insofar as the virtue of joy as a goal is concerned. We have to be very practical on how to go about developing it, doing the usual give-and-take that is unavoidable.

But we have to learn first how to be theological in developing and living our Christian joy. Thus, we need to see the example of Christ, trying to enter into his mind and heart, such that our thoughts and even our feelings can reflect the thoughts and feelings of Christ himself.

We have to convince ourselves that it is only in him that we find true joy and peace. It’s in his heart where we can find the way and strength to grapple with any trial and difficulty, and to derive some good from evil.

“Your sorrow will be turned into joy”

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

WHAT reassuring words Christ was addressing to his disciples, and now to us! While it is a given that we will have all kinds of sorrows in this life, we should avoid falling into a state of sadness that can only mean that we are not with Christ, that we do not believe him.

But if by our faith we stick to this promise of Christ, we know that our sorrows indeed will become joy that will also give us peace, a peace that is not of the worldly kind, but one that comes from Christ himself.

We need to know the real nature and character of this virtue of joy, now facing possible extinction amid the complicated air of modern times. It sadly has suffered many distortions lately such that its common understanding is now quite off the mark.

We also need to update our ability to develop and strengthen it, realistically factoring elements that now define our lives, as well as acquiring the relevant skills and art to effectively tackle our tricky times.

We cannot remain at the superficial level, restricting joy as a function only of biological, emotional, social causes, etc. Joy has deeper roots that go all the way to our Creator. We need to realize this truth more deeply, and do all, helping one another, to work out the proper mentality and culture of joy for one and all.

As such, joy has an eminently spiritual and supernatural nature. To develop it, we need faith, hope and charity, we need to pray and appreciate and live the value of sacrifice, and everything else that go with these elements. 

It has to go all the way to the theological level as well as to the most cutting-edge practical skills we can get. The complexities and challenges of our times demand nothing less.

We have to wean ourselves from that childish notion that joy is just an emotional thing or some chemical or biological phenomenon that can be affected by certain drugs, potions and therapeutic exercises. Joy is neither just a matter of character or temperament.

Not that these things do not contribute anything. They do, and we need to give due consideration to their objective good effects as well as to the objective needs and conditions, both good and bad, of our body in all their aspects.

But we have to understand that they only play a secondary and instrumental role. They are useless if they are not attached to the real source of joy, and that’s nothing less than God himself.

Without God, these elements have no other way but to sooner or later succumb to our weaknesses, to the temptations around and eventually to death. With God, we can always find ways to go on and ultimately enter into eternal life.

Certainly, we need to be very discerning in knowing the actual state and conditions of our life insofar as the virtue of joy as a goal is concerned. We have to be very practical on how to go about developing it, doing the usual give-and-take that is unavoidable.

But we have to learn first how to be theological in developing and living our Christian joy. Thus, we need to see the example of Christ, trying to enter into his mind and heart, such that our thoughts and even our feelings can reflect the thoughts and feelings of Christ himself.

We have to convince ourselves that it is only in him that we find true joy and peace. It’s in his heart where we can find the way and strength to grapple with any trial and difficulty, and to derive some good from evil.

The sweetness of true love

 

By Fr. Roy Cimagala

Chaplain

Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE)

Talamban, Cebu City

Email: roycimagala@gmail.com

THIS is the unmistakable mark of true love, one that channels the very love of God of whom we are his image and likeness, meant to share in his very life and nature. Irrespective of how things go in our life, whether they are going up or down in human terms, as long as we have that true love, the taste of love will always be sweet.

And the basis for this assertion is the truth of our faith that defines true love not only in human terms but also and most especially in spiritual and supernatural terms. True love is not only natural, subject only to the laws of nature which cannot help, given our wounded condition due to our sin, to bear the baggage of the infranatural.

This spiritual and supernatural love can transcend whatever temporal condition we might be in. As St. Paul once said, this kind of love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Cor 13,7) And given the current conditions in the world, we truly need this love to survive all the trials and challenges in our life.

The challenge we have here is how to have this kind of love and how to keep it going all day and all the time. For this, we should always find ways of how to keep going our relationship with God who is the very essence, source and power of love.

Let’s remember that when God created man, he entered into a personal relationship with us precisely because we have been created by him to be his image and likeness, to be a person, and not just a thing, a plant or animal, with whom we can share his very life and nature.

As we often hear, we, among God’s creatures, are not just something. We are a someone, a person, with intelligence and will. It is with us, together with the angels, that God establishes a personal relationship. We have to learn how to do our part in corresponding to this God-initiated relationship.

For our part, we should just find ways of how we can keep that relationship alive and vibrant, able to feel the reassuring will and ways of God. Only then can we manage the sweetness of love despite the varying conditions and situations of our life here on earth.

We should come up with the appropriate strategy to deal with this condition of our life, some kind of structure or system that can guide us irrespective of the changing circumstances of our daily life. This structure or system should be made up of some practices of piety that would keep our spiritual and supernatural bearing intact as we navigate the seas and oceans of our life.

These practices of piety should be the basic ones like a time for prayer, recourse to the sacraments especially the holy eucharist and confession, some devotions like the praying of the holy rosary, visits to the Blessed Sacrament, and other practices like regular examinations of conscience, presence of God all throughout the day making use of human devices, etc.,

Everyday, we have to tweak this system to adapt it to the peculiar conditions of the day. In this regard, it is also good to consider our concrete physical, emotional and mental conditions, so we would somehow know what to do when their strong and weak points would impact on the different events of the day. Not all days are the same. There are what we call ‘good’ days and ‘bad’ days.