Actively Indifferent to all but to God

Proverbs 30:7-9 (RSV)-

"Two things I ask of thee;
deny them not to me before I die:
Remove far from me falsehood and lying;
give me neither poverty nor riches;
feed me with the food that is needful for me,
lest I be full and deny thee, and say, 'Who is the Lord?'
or lest I be poor, and steal, and profane the name of my God."

Luke 10:25-37 (ESV): "You go, and do likewise."

One of the many things associated with being a trial lawyer is questions. Lawyers are trained to question, to think in questions, to ask questions; in one of the classes I teach, I stress this over and over again -- that the essence of a good trial lawyer is being able to ask good questions.

In Luke 10:25-37, Jesus is confronted by a lawyer with two questions: first, "what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" and second, ". . . who is my neighbor?" These two questions are significant because they are telling as to the nature of lawyers as well as of the character of Jesus.

The passages in Luke are more commonly known as referring to "The Parable of the Good Samaritan" and frequently, the narrative is taken up starting from verse 30; for me, however, the context of what Jesus says to the lawyer is best captured and the parable is best understood if it is read starting from verse 25.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

25 And behold, a lawyer stood up to put him to the test, saying, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” 26 He said to him, “What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” 27 And 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 neighbor as yourself.” 28 And he said to him, “You have answered correctly; do this, and you will live.”

29 But he, desiring to justify himself, said to Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?” 30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii [1] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”

In his first question, the lawyer asks about the rule--"what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (v. 25)--and Jesus gives the answer to him in what law students know as the Socratic method, i.e., by another question--"“What is written in the Law? How do you read it?” (v. 26). Indeed, how best do you answer a lawyer's question but to ask him to interpret the law? And so, the lawyer, in his element now, answers as best he can--"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." (v. 27) Jesus says, "You have answered correctly" but also gives him an instruction--"do this, and you will live." (v. 28)

In answering this way, Jesus does not answer the lawyer's question because he wanted to know about living forever--"eternal life"--whereas Jesus tells him that he "will live" referring to the here and now. In John 10:10 (ESV), Jesus describes his mission in the here and now--"I came that they may have life and have it abundantly." That they may have life now, not later, and life that is abundant.

This point is not lost on the lawyer because Jesus has managed to point out to him that while he understood the law perfectly, he failed to truly understand that the law meant for us to live abundantly here and now, not later.

And so, embarrassed and "desiring to justify himself" (v. 29), he asks the second question--perhaps in a desire not so much to get out of the hole he dug for himself but also to catch Jesus in a contradiction--"And who is my neighbor?" (v. 29) [The "and" at the start of the question is significant because it demonstrates the context of the question as related to the first question and the answer he himself gave. By engaging in a Socratic dialogue of sorts, Jesus actually allowed the lawyer to have a measure of self-examination as it were.)

This is where Jesus comes in with the narrative of the "Good Samaritan."

30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii [1] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’"

The parable is intended only to demonstrate just how it is to truly live according to God's ways, to follow the commandments. The choice of a priest and a Levite as the first two who pass by the hapless victim on the road is deliberate and significant because these are two types of people in Jesus's time who know the rules and in fact pride themselves on living according to the rules; yet, it is a Samaritan, who knows not the rules and lives not according to them, who "had compassion." (v.33) And so the parable goes that the Samaritan "went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him." More than these, he then insisted that should the money he left not be enough, he would repay the innkeeper when he came back. (vv. 34-35)

After setting forth the parable in this way, Jesus then goes back to the lawyer with yet another question to answer the lawyer's second question--"Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?" (v. 36)
And the lawyer again answered correctly, "The one who showed him mercy." (v.37) To this, Jesus then said to the lawyer--"You go, and do likewise."

Jesus's question leaves no room for doubt. The great commandment of loving God with all our being and loving our neighbors as we love ourselves is to be done by lives lived not and not simply by words spoken. Jesus asked, "which of these three . . . PROVED to be a neighbor. . .?" The Samaritan, who by no means, could be counted on as a neighbor to the jew, PROVED by his actions to be a neighbor to the jew by his compassion. And thus, Jesus sums it all up to the lawyer: "You go, and do likewise." Be like the Samaritan, who threw away the rules and simply did as his heart dictated--be compassionate, be merciful, be loving not only in words but in living.

At the heart of the Parable and the lawyer's two questions to Jesus is the nature of God's heart: it is a heart of compassion that acts with mercy. God feels for His people; many times over, Scripture tells us of God relating to His people with compassion and then acting with mercy. In Genesis 18:16-33, Abraham intercedes with God to spare the righteous in Sodom and Gomorrhah and God, feeling compassion for those righteous, acts with mercy in agreeing to spare them.

And so, Jesus's two instructions to the lawyer are equally instructions to us--"do this, and you will live" (v. 28) and "you go, and do likewise" (v. 37) Jesus tells us that in living out Godly lives, we must be neighbors to those who need us--the ones who suffer, the ones who are hurt, the ones who are in pain, the ones who are facing adversity and challenges--as well as those we feel we do not need--those we cannot understand, those we cannot relate to, those we dislike, those who "rub us the wrong way", those we conveniently label "unloveable."

Jesus tells us ". . . go and do likewise": to be like the Samaritan who threw out the conventions and the rules and did the only thing that was appropriate at the time, be a neighbor to one who needed him to be one. He did as Jesus's heart would do: show compassion and act with mercy.

May we, who wish to follow Jesus, truly follow Him as he commands us, ". . . go and do likewise" and may we, despite ourselves, do as His heart would do: show compassion and act with mercy.

MFN

After a brutal 40 days of lent, Easter, for me, is best summed up by Psalm 147:20 -- "He has not dealt thus with any other nation. . ." (ESV)

It speaks of undeserved but nonetheless abundantly given grace to a nation, a People, that deserves far, far less.

"When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers, the moon and the stars, which you have set in place, what is man that you are mindful of him, and the son of man that you care for him? Yet you have made him a little lower than the heavenly beings, and crowned him with glory and honor. You have given him dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under his feet. . ." (Psalm 8:3-6; ESV)

The Lord who is risen is He who "determines the number of the stars (and) gives to all of them their names" (147:4; ESV)--truly, the King, Creator, Owner of the Universe.

We are God's MFN (Most Favored Nation) and Easter serves to remind us--me--of that. "He has not dealt thus with any other nation." Indeed.

----------------------------------------------

Thank You Lord for not giving us what we deserve--for dealing with us, unlike any other nation, any other People; thank you for blessing us with everything within YOUR imagination with everything beyond OUR imagination. This Easter, may we live lives that reflect the healing, the restoration, the hope that Your resurrection brings.

Easter (according to John Y.)

Jopeng (a lay missionary brother from The Servants of the Word) and I groaned (simultaneously, albeit separately) when John said that now that it's Easter, it doesn't mean that lent is over--the discipline of lent is still there but it's coupled with the joy of Easter.

Lent. isn't. over. ?! Huh?

Trust someone like John Yocum, an Elder from The Servants of the Word with a Ph.D in Theology and with faculty stints in Oxford and currently at Loyola School of Theology, to put Easter in its proper perspective with his usual really softly spoken erudition. (He did say it with a smile on his face, so we weren't really sure if he was kidding, at first; later, of course, we knew he wasn't kidding.)

But no matter my reaction to John's earlier statement, it was something that was thought-provoking, insightful and life-giving--and it was something that was, ultimately, so simple you start to ask yourself why you never thought of it in the first place.

Just because it is Easter already doesn't mean that we go back to our old wordly ways; that would negate everything about Easter! That, in a very poorly-worded sentence, is what John meant (I think) by lent continuing despite Easter. It wouldn't be Easter if we all went back to our old lives--pre-lent; it wouldn't be Easter if we all started doing everything we were doing before lent came in. Easter is the season of new-ness yet that new-ness would be absolutely meaningless if we went back to our old ways. And that, in John 's exhortation, is precisely why we celebrate Easter because the old man has died and the new man has been born.

So, after collecting my jaw off the floor, I rejoiced!

Happy 2nd day* of Easter!



* John quipped that if we found lent brutal because of its length (bad pun mine, not his)--40 days--then Easter should be much more interesting because it is 10 days longer--there are 50 days of the Easter season before Pentecost; so that means there are 50 days of rejoicing without letting go of the discipline of lent.

Waiting for Easter

Have you ever listened to different people talking about their lives and suddenly realize that they could very well be talking about yours as well?

I got that feeling while listening to a Good Friday recollection earlier.

Every word hit home--from Tito Eddie's opening statements; to Rosanne Romero's gut-wrenching and inspiring sharing (I do not think there was a dry eye in the room after she was done; yes not even the men) about living 21 years with MS and still having so much faith in God; to Maya Jacoba's sharing; to Fr. Dave Concepcion's homily about Peter's fall and redemption. In the vernacular, there is a word for it: sapul. And yes, sapul it was earlier. Each. word. hit. home.

Thank you, Lord, for speaking very clearly; thank you, Lord, for allowing me to realize how much I desire to be healed; thank you, Lord, for allowing me to realize the hope that I have in You.

I cannot wait for Easter.

Healing and Hope in Him

Hosea 6: "[1] Come, let us return to the Lord;
for he has torn us, that he may heal us;
he has struck us down , and he will bind us up.
. . . [3] Let us know, let us press on to know the Lord;
his going out is sure as the dawn;
he will come to us as the showers,
as the spring rains that water the earth."

Healing and Hope from Him who is the source of both: my prayer this lent, not only for myself but for all those for whom I care.

The reasons

Someone asked me recently why I bother writing and getting angry about Gloria, when it appears that there is very little that can be done as she is well-entrenched in power and will do anything in her power and beyond to stay there forever. That same person also asked me why I bother to get angry about Gloria.

I told her that I bother to write because I am but:

a
drop
falling into
a stream
flowing
into
a
river
raging,
becoming
torrents, and
turning into a
flood.

I told her also that I bother getting angry because:

the
flood reduces
the rock
into
rubble
in
time

And finally, I told her I bother caring because many years ago, one man cared enough to stretch out His arms wide in an unrequited gesture of absolute love and those outstretched arms have given us the right to dare to hope, to care, to dream, to perserverse, to share and to love back.

When God's will meets our plans

For those discerning; some words from a wise young priest (here).

Definitely not a lemon

Here's a good sharing. Read.

"What do you seek?" (John 1:38)

Imagine the Lord asking that of us—of me—at the start of the year, even as He has already blessed us with so much the past year.

Yes, that is the God who reigns in my life—He who would bless me with so much, turn a blind eye and a deaf ear to my faithlessness, and even now, in His compassion, mercy and love, ask me still—“what do you seek?”

Not, “what do you need?” because He already provides for all that I need but, “what do you want?” “what do you desire?”

At the start of the year, the Lord reminded—commanded—me to “take nothing for (your) journey” (Mark 6:8, RSV) even as He asks me now, “what do you desire?”

Lord, I like your sense of humor and I like your style. Even as you assure me of all that I shall ever need at the start of my year, you already ask me for what I truly desire--the cherry on top of the sundae, as it were.

Bags and Things

The title comes from an old song by Dennis Lambert (if his name doesn't ring a bell; think Of All the Things; if it still doesn't, then you are very young.) and it came unbidden--as with most things that are inspired.

I was listening to music in the car while doing errands before 2006 ended and while listening to this song for the umpteenth time, I was struck by just how appropriate the lyrics were to the coming of a new year. The song speaks of moving on, leaving familiar and comfortable things behind, leaving hurts and habits behind and allowing hope in, that it may bring us to Heaven--at least, that is what it says to me. And while it may have been written by Lambert for a specific person in his life, it may very well have been written for God.

Dennis Lambert is a very powerful lyricist (vide Of All the Things, which to me is the perfectly written love song--complete, compelling with no wasted words; but that's another post altogether) and it shows in this particular song, viz:

BAGS AND THINGS
(Dennis Lambert)

I gave away my old guitar
but I still hear the music playin'
I kept my rhymes upon the wall
and kept the only words worth sayin'
I don't need faces now
to hide behind,
to say I'm diggin' when they're
really messing up my mind
The puppet dances by himself
He went and cut the strings
He don't have no time for
bags and things

I threw away my favorite smile,
the one I had to keep from cryin'
for in the sunshine of your eyes
the make believe in me was dyin'
You gave me all I need:
Reality,
You opened up the door
and let some heaven in on me
And if I want to touch the sky
You've given me the wings
Ain't no going back to
bags and things

I post this at the start of the year for my friends and brothers and sisters in my singles community who are grappling with change right now--trying to move on, leaving hurts and habits behind, trying to find hope in uncomfortable and new environments, looking for that heaven they've been familiar with all their life in strange worlds. May you find comfort and solace and affirmation in, ironically, a love song written in the 70's by a man whom most of you have not heard of--may you not be weighed down by the "bags and things" of 2006.

I post this also for myself as I come to terms with yet another year where He asks me, in His infinite and unfathomable wisdom, to "take nothing for (the) journey." I thank Him for the wings He has given me to be able to journey with Him and pray for the grace to not desire any longer the "bags and things" that I have left behind.

Not in control and loving it

“Do all things without grumbling or questioning, that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world, holding fast the word of life, so that in the day of Christ I may be proud that I did not run in vain or labor in vain.” (Phil 2:14-16, RSV)

When I am suffering, this exhortation never fails to uplift me.

Paul speaks of being in prison so many times that we tend to become desensitized to just how difficult it must have been for him to preach the Gospel in his day. Yet, he did so, unfailingly, consistently and proudly.

Many times, I grumble and question—okay, almost every time—especially when things are not to my liking even if I know it is part of what God has in store for me. Loss of control is never easy and this has always been my cross.

I am, by nature, a control freak and loss of control—the uncertainty, the “not knowing” and the inability to shape what comes next—has always been cause for me to grumble and question and, often, protest. Many times, it has involved only me and God but there have been times as well when my being a control freak has affected—and hurt—others.

Recently, I was given a wake-up call to this. It was not a subtle hint nor a gentle nudge, it was practically a bludgeon—I was confronted with the many times my insistence on control affected and hurt others I love. And I was, literally, brought to my knees—not knowing what to do, what to say—and not in control. But, ironically, that was when I felt the most free.

So though I suffer many times, I try now not to grumble or question—too much. Try is the most important word in that sentence. Often though, the words of complaint and protest slip through my lips but I am quick to repent and to pray that God be in control once again.

Lord, I pray for the grace to shine as a light in the world that is in darkness; to be a voice that speaks Your truth in a world that is filled with noise and confusion; to be your face in a world that knows You not or no longer. Grant me additionally the grace to be all these without grumbling or questioning but to be simply filled with the hope that I labor not in vain but in the victory that you have already won. Amen.

nano disturbance

I was asked a question I dreaded yesterday by a fellow lawyer: “do you agree that Sadam Hussein should be executed?” I found myself hesitating for perhaps one nano second before I answered, “No. I do not agree that he should be executed.”

For one who has been literally rendered a one-trick pony when it comes to the death penalty, I found that nano second of hesitation surprising and disturbing because I did not know why I hesitated and because there should have been no reason for me to hesitate.

I still don’t know why I hesitated and that disturbs me—still.

Calmed, Quieted and Comforted

“O Lord, my heart is not lifted up,
     my eyes are not raised too high;
I do not occupy myself with things
    too great and too marvelous for me.
But  I have calmed and quieted my soul,
     like a child quieted at its mother’s
                breast;
     like a child that is quieted is my soul.

O Israel, hope in the Lord
     From this time forth and forevermore.”

• Psalm 131, RSV

A beautiful reminder to start a week that is foreseen to be stressful.

Lord, I beg for the grace to be calm, quiet and comforted.  Allow me to occupy myself with all that is truly important.  May I desire nothing more than to hope in you today.  Amen.

Looking with new eyes

Sometimes, you need to look at things with new eyes.

Haven’t been able to blog in a while for many reasons;  just thought I’d put a new face to the blog—this is temporary, while I’m looking for a new template.  My thanks to Marlon for the previous template—which was beautiful, but which somehow got old also.    In the meantime, I’ve always liked this template which I share with Ella (who put it up first) and Red C. (check out his blog for great essays and pics).

Hope to be back soon.  See you all around.

God bless you all.

of Globe, Ateneo and others

Haven’t blogged in a while for many reasons.  So many things going on, so many things on my mind, just can’t find the disposition to write about them.


People in the metro discovered recently they can live without electricity (for a short while), without water (for even a shorter while) or without cable tv but they can’t live without texting.  When the lights went out due to Milenyo, cell sites failed also.  And that’s when you heard the howls of protest (mine included).

That’s the effect of  connectivity.  And that’s what happens when connectivity is gone, you feel lost.

In a way, that’s what I feel when I can’t pray—disconnected from the Source:  lost.

It’s a good thing that, despite all that’s going on, the grace to come before the Source is still there; even if, on many occasions, I have to literally BEG for the grace, it does come and in great abundance.

Lord, allow me to hold fast to the truth that You are the Master of the storms in my life;  remind me never to whine to You about how big the storms are in my life but always remind me to tell the storms how Big a God You are.


Ateneo lost; in overtime; to UST; in a tournament where La Salle did not play.  That hurts;  a lot.

I feel for JC Intal, who missed two crucial baskets in regulation that could have won them the game outright and again missed two baskets in overtime that could have won them the game. He played his heart out, however, and that is something to be proud of;  that’s probably also why he cried his heart out too.

Crossroads

I had an interesting conversation with a priest at lunch today—no, it wasn’t over confession, but over spaghetti, chicken, iced tea and coffee.  Over coffee (tea for me), he asked me straight out: “so what do you plan to do with your life, Ted?”;  he asked it as if I hadn’t been doing anything with my life for the past several decades.  

It didn’t offend me, it actually got me thinking.

Right now, I’m holding down the equivalent of five (5) full-time jobs:  a partner at a law firm, a full-time coordinator position with a lawyers’ non-government organization, a full-time faculty position at U.P., a directorship at its Legal Aid Clinic and branch leadership of a Catholic community for single professionals.  Despite all these, I sometimes feel that I’m not doing much with my life—don’t know if this makes sense but this feeling does come over me sometimes—and that perhaps I should be doing more.  That was why the question, “so what do you plan to do with your life?” hit home earlier.

I’m still thinking about it.  I don’t really know what the answer is;  I don’t know if I’d like the answer.  Whatever the answer is, I pray that God will be at the center.  I pray for the grace to be able to know His plans for me and the added grace of being able to act on His plans for me.  

There is no other

Jessica Z said it before in her blog and I’ve been noticing it also in my own blog. The Comments section really starts to take a life of its own.  I’m starting to recognize some of the “anonymous” bloggers as well as those who have been signing their names.  I do appreciate the comments;  what I do not appreciate are personal attacks that do nothing to contribute to any debate or thought formation but debase the writer, i.e., me.

My last post on Gloria Arroyo drew a comment from someone I “met” in email—Auntie Beth;  I do appreciate her comments and I understand what she’s saying and where she’s coming from.  Auntie Beth’s comment also drew an “anonymous” post from someone I presume is (was) my student “defending” my statements on Gloria Arroyo.  I won’t pit the two against each other as that really isn’t something I would want to do.  

I do, however,  want to comment on Auntie Beth’s statement that she misses the “other Ted”, presumably referring to the posts that speak of God and my relationship with Him and my postings on my faith.

I realize that it can be disconcerting to read my blogs that speak lovingly of God and His people and harshly of Gloria Arroyo.  I, however, find no contradiction.  Those who have met me and know me well will not find it strange that I can speak lovingly of God and so harshly of Gloria.

Its easy to speak in loving terms of God and His people simply because I owe everything to God.  It is not as easy to speak in loving terms of Gloria who has done nothing but cause hardship to Filipinos in the name of staying in power at all costs.

Is it un-Christian to speak harshly of Gloria?  I do not think so.  Even Christ had harsh words for the Pharisees;  and believe me, Gloria is light years beyond the Pharisees.

Is it un-loving to call Gloria a dictator?  I do not think so.  Especially when she cheated in the last elections and enjoys no mandate whatsoever;  especially when she, only a few months ago, arrogated unto herself powers the Constitution does not give her;  especially when the Supreme Court has categorically told her that she can’t do what she did when she proclaimed CPR, Proclamation 1017 and EO 464.

Is it wrong to speak out in the face of a clearly manipulative attempt to curry favor by using every thing or person available?  I think not.  Especially when  the subject of her manipulation is no less than the Holy Father himself.  We must not forget that it is this very same Gloria Arroyo who, when she was still Vice President, declared that John Paul II had confirmed that it was perfectly alright to go ahead with her destabilization attempts against Erap;  we must not forget that it is this very same Gloria Arroyo who, upon visiting Benedict XVI, now intones through her mouthpiece Mr. Bunyi that the Pope has also given his go-signal for her government to continue doing what it is doing.

Is it wrong to speak out in the face of such utter silliness as Mike Arroyo’s statement that Gloria will “lobby” the Holy Father for more Cardinals and for the application of two more Filipino saints?  I do not think so.  

Auntie Beth, I apologize if my harsh words against the dictator turn you off but I am the same person—not two persons—who is a Christian, a human rights advocate,  a lawyer, a law professor, a Filipino.  I cannot speak lovingly of my God and lovingly of a dictator;  I believe absolutely and, wholeheartedly, in telling the truth and the truth is “Gloria must go.”  There is no “other Ted”,  what you read is what you get.

C.S. Lewis, paraphrased many times by the late Cardinal Sin, once said, “hate the sin, love the sinner.”  I believe that, with all my heart.   That is why I speak out against Gloria Arroyo, who is, like me, a sinner.  If I keep my peace in the face of all the corruption, all the killings, all the anomalies, all the irregularities, then I would not only be loving the sinner but also loving the sin.  Believe me, I do pray for Gloria Arroyo but not that she stays on because, believe me, I also pray for my country, which  I love more than Gloria, sinner and daughter of God that she is.  

And the most loving thing I can do for my country right now is to pray that Gloria goes--soon.

Wearing the colors

The few games of the NBA Finals that I had gotten to watch—I was amazed at one thing (and this I noticed in the Miami games):  when Miami played, it was to a backdrop of white shirts (white being Miami’s home game colors).  Everyone was in white!  Now, that’s intimidating to an opponent who goes into the arena looking for some measure of comfort or appreciation.  And, that’s comforting to a home team that goes into the campaign looking for support.

It’s a good analogy for Christian commitment.  

Are we ready to wear our colors proudly?  Are we ready to be one with other Christians in being identified as a Christian?  Its similar to wearing  white in the Miami Heat basketball arena—you identify yourself with the home team to the extent that you would proudly display your colors.

God doesn’t ask much from us—just that we make a choice, we stand by it and we be proud of it.

For all those who have made that choice, let us stand by it and be proud of it.  Wear your colors proudly, God’s child!