joyful service

"Let the word of God dwell in you richly." Col 3:16

Me: Ito po. I'll buy these, please. *handing the two books to the sister manning the booth*

Sister: Pari po kayo? Are you a priest?

Me: Hindi po! No, sorry! 

It was a funny encounter with a Pauline sister selling their products outside the parish after Sunday mass. A few thoughts ran through my mind after that incident:

1. She must have thought about giving appropriate greetings to a priest if I were one. 
2. I probably need to grow this beard a bit longer to have a bit of the bad boy image so as not to be mistaken for a priest!
3. The common situation may be that someone as young as me would not be buying these copies. It's a reasonable thought. I can say that not many of my friends would get a copy and read these. From my community, Lingkod, or for some of my college friends (I graduatedfrom a Jesuit-run university), yes; for others, probably not.

On the third point, this would be something to ponder on. These apostolic exhortations that I bought copies of are addressed to the bishops, clergy, consecrated persons and the lay faithful on the proclamation of the Gospel in today's world. Lay faithful. In this Year of the Laity as established by the Catcholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines, this could not be a more appropriate material to read for Catholics. 

In a lot of Pope Francis's recent exhortations and public messages, and even Pope Emeritus Benedict's strong encouragement as he published the YOUCAT, the youth is even more encouraged to take on the task of evangelization. This task, they said can be done most effectively by knowing what one believes in and leading a life of joy with Him. I support them in their message that truly, the bigger task of bringing God's word to everyone rests on the tech savvy, freshly creative and energetic youth!

I am constantly grateful to be part of a community of single young professionals dedicated to serve God. It gives me much encouragement and support to be in their company to live a life pleasing the One who gifted us with this life and carrying out that task of proclaiming his love to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8). It's a tall order to follow Him but I know I can only do it with his Spirit and with the support of my brothers and sisters in Christ. 

I encourage you, dear reader, that if there is any inkling to serve or a hint of desire to know more about Him, reach out to people who you know can help guide you in your path to knowing Christ. Everything starts with the desire to know Him more. I know that's where I started. To those in a relationship with Him but are somehow bogged down with the daunting task of serving him, take courage! (Joshua 1:9) Where I am now, looking back, I'm thankful to have responded and continue to respond to His call. It's not an easy task, nor is my response perfect, but it is a desire I do not wish to extinguish.

Bring the undiminished fire of your love into this Church whose countenance has so often been disfigured by man, "Never flag in zeal, be aglow with the Spirit, serve the Lord!" (Rom 12:11) - Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

someone understands

There are times when we feel we are restless because of too many things pouncing on us. Too many things to do, too many things to be done and too many things to just even think of.

When life is pulling you from all directions, all you just want to do is teleport to a secluded place and *poof* hopefully things just stay quiet for a while. Sadly, this isn't just the case. Yes, you might find a way to physically isolate yourself from the chaos but this is only to find yourself still restless and unable to get that peace you imagined. This was because even if the chaos from the world was eliminated, what wasn't was the restlessness and the chaos which was inside of you in the first place.

I find this realization sad. Imagine, you take all those measures to get that peace you've always wanted, think that you've finally got it, only to discover that it's just not going to happen! At this point, you just feel helpless that sometimes you either just resign and go back to the busy world burying yourself in work and all other activities or stay in that secluded space you've picked out, yet still do nothing to address these things - in a state of limbo.

This story is a familiar one as I read a passage from the ministry of Jesus:

When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. (Mt 9:35)

As I repeated the passage over and over, I was struck with the phrase: he had compassion for them. During these moments of confusion, it's but wonderful to realize that there is someone who cares for us and understands us in our helplessness. When we think no one understands how we feel, we're wrong. When we think that we're all alone in our mess, we're wrong. There is someone up there that we can talk to who understands exactly where we are in our lives and how we feel.

I can just imagine how many people today find themselves in cases where they are just piled up with so many things that sometimes leave them helpless and confused. Count me in as one of them. I do not claim to have the answer to address that feeling of being lost. Hey, as I said, I'm part of the club. What I can claim is this - we are not alone. You are never alone.

In response to Jesus's compassion, he addressed his apostles to pray for the Lord of the Harvest to send laborers into this harvest. We can do just that - beyond just praying, we can be the laborers of this harvest ourselves. Hey, Jesus never said that the laborers be perfect themselves. In these times of restlessness, yes, it may be the perfect time to fix yourself and get that self-recovery that you need. These may be the times as well when you can understand others more and serve them. In the sincere effort to help them out, the Lord can grant the grace of clarity in your own life. This is my prayer for you and for all of us.

Is there anything I can help you with?

choose joy

Today, we are bombarded everywhere with endless lists of n things to do before turning n, various books on how to pursue happiness and  many #activities and #movements to help us savor the moment and live a life of happiness. These just highlight the craving of our human soul to find happiness in this modern and technology-driven life.

One can indeed find happiness by appreciating the simple things - the yellow flower that stops you in your tracks while walking along a busy metropolitan street, the cheerful "Good morning," of a cab driver at three in the morning coming from work or the hot cup of coffee with your bread, toast and bacon at breakfast. There is, however, a much more filling happiness beyond just a heightened awareness and conscious appreciation of the things around us.

I myself have subscribed to various self-help materials on this topic. Ranging from learning how money actually buys happiness to the lessons positive psychology offers even by just simply listing things you are grateful for, one can never run out of articles to read after looking up happiness online. But I'll let you in on something, if you want to find happiness and joy, stop thinking of creative ways to entertain and make yourself happy. Serve others.

If you're one of those working for social enterprises, do the best at your work knowing it is for the benefit of your partner communities. If your work is in corporate finance, be excellent at it knowing it is for the organization's cause. If you don't like your work, do it anyway; if not for the compensation, for your team or for the clients your company serves. If that's not going to happen for you at work, make time and serve at a local shelter for the aged on weekends. If your schedule doesn't permit it, maybe you can buy an extra bottle of water at the cafeteria during snack time for the beggar you always pass by when you go out of the office after work. Why not lend your colleague a hand at work or share a smile when someone's having a bad day? Care to give your bus seat to the lady nursing a baby in her arms? When you get home, why not cook dinner for your mom and while you're at it, wash the dishes after? I think you get the drift.

Many people are daunted when service is mentioned. Service is simply doing what we are capable of in whatever situation we are in to help out another person - however simple that may be.

Happiness is not simply something that "happens" in our life and that we only need to be aware and attentive to it. It is also a result of actions we choose to do. The moment we choose to make others happy is the moment we love and give them the respect that they deserve. The moment we do this is the moment we are filled with joy.

"Joy is not a selfish thing to seek, but a selfless thing to find." - Fr. J. Martin, SJ