OMI Scholastics Randy & Rodel with Street Children in Manila

The Righteousness being asked of us...

What is the righteousness being asked of us, today? Sura 2: 178 tells us…

“It is not righteousness that ye turn your faces to the East and the West; but righteous is he who believeth in Allah and the Last Day and the angels and the Scripture and the Prophets; and giveth his wealth, for love of Him, to kinsfolk and to orphans and the needy and the wayfarer and to those who ask, and to set slaves free; and observeth proper worship and payeth the poor due. And those who keep their treaty when they make one, and the patient in tribulation and adversity and time of stress. Such are they who are sincere. Such are the God fearing.”

(Ya_ ayyuhal lazina a_manu_ kutiba 'alaikumul qisa_su fil qatla_, al hurru bil hurri wal 'abdu bil 'abdi wal unsa_ bil unsa_, faman 'ufiya lahu_ min akhihi syai'un fat tiba_'um bil ma'ru_fi wa ada_'un ilaihi bi ihsa_n(in), za_lika takhfifum mir rabbikum wa rahmah(tun), fa mani'tada_ ba'da za_lika fa lahu_ 'aza_bun alim(un).)

This is the Qura’nic invitation to all peoples of the Book that they should “excel each other in good deeds” and this constitutes true piety and righteousness…

Bapa Eliseo “Jun” Mercado, OMI

The Heart of the Soul...

In 858 A.D. the Sufi mystic al-Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj was born in Persia. In 922 A.D. he was accused of violating Islamic law and, after imprisonment and torture, he was executed for blasphemy.

In his travels as a mendicant preacher and spiritual master, al-Hallaj tried to lead his followers ever more deeply into the reality of the human soul toward ultimate unity with the divine. His writings passionately described divine love as he sought to lose himself in God (Massignon 1983, 2:198).

One of the most compelling themes from al-Hallaj's devotional doctrine is that of the Virgin Heart, which refers to the secret place in the center of the human soul where God alone has access. Al-Hallaj stated (Massignon 1989, 133).

Our hearts are one single Virgin, which the dream of no dreamer can penetrate ... which only the presence of the Lord penetrates in order to be conceived therein.

Louis Massignon’s writings showed the deep layers of meaning evoked by this image of the Virgin Heart at the center of the human soul. His reflection on the subject revealed that our heart is "ensheathed," covered over by "veils" of illusions, assumptions, judgments, and attachments that prevent us from even imagining a place for the divine within us. This blindness prevents us from recognizing the same virginal point in the souls of others.

At the center of our being is a point of nothingness which is untouched by sin and illusion, a point of pure truth, a point or spark which belongs entirely to God ... this little point ... is the pure glory of God in us ... It is like a pure diamond, blazing with the invisible light of heaven. It is in everybody.

I understand this "point of pure truth" to mean that I must be capable of recognizing the sacred in everyone, as al-Hallaj did. To believe in the mystery of the Virgin Heart is to believe in a secret place in every human soul where the sacred is given to us despite our unworthiness, failures, and human limitations. That place cannot be touched by anything I do, and yet it calls me to transcend myself, to see all others as they are -- sacred. Only then can I say with Hallaj (Massignon 1983, 426): “My soul is mixed and joined together with your soul and every accident that injures you injures me.” (Ed.'s note: This a very short summary of a long article on the subject written by Dorothy C. Buck)

References

Massignon, Louis. 1983. The Passion of al-Hallaj: Mystic and Martyr. Vol. 2. Translated by H. Mason. Princeton, N.J.: princeton University Press.

Massignon, Louis. 1989. Testimonies and Reflections: Essays of Louis Massignon. Selected and introduced by H. Mason. Notre Dame, Indiana: University of Notre Dame Press.

A Call to Simplicity in both our life style and ministry...

“He instructed them to take nothing for the journey but a walking stick--no food, no sack, no money in their belts. They were, however, to wear sandals but not a second tunic.” (Mark 6: 8-9)

Jesus’ instruction to his disciples continues to challenge us in both our life style and ministry… We have perfected the art of giving ourselves comfort and privileges in carrying the mission entrusted to us. What a tragedy!

Wisdom of God: St. Benedict - Abbot 

St. Benedict - Abbot & Patron of Europe

July 11th of each year is a Feast dedicated to St. Benedict - the Founder of Western Monasticism. There are three things that stand out in St. Benedict's monastic path/"tariqa(t)". These are the following:

• Prayer
• Work
• Lectio Divina

In the past, the people who embraced the 'path' of St. Benedict transformed not only their lives but also the face of Europe.

The challenge before us today is to become, once again, instruments of a new 'birth' for Europe through PRAYER, WORK and LECTIO DIVINA.

No doubt, St. Benedict's path/tariqa(t) is still VALID today... But what we need is to search for new ways and forms of praying, working and reading the Scriptures.

Dead men/women walking...

"The girl is dead but sleeping...." (Mt. 9:24)

In life, we often see dead people walking akin to people who are sentenced to die. Life and hope have long passed them by... and they simply plod along.

In these times, we need to feel the touch of Jesus... waking us up from our slumber and "tiredness". Hear his word: "Arise!"

Beware that we take NO offense at God's ways...

Dhikr for the 14th week of the Ordinary year (B)

“When the Sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished. They said, ‘Where did this man get all this? What kind of wisdom has been given him? What mighty deeds are wrought by his hands! Is he not the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?’ And they took offense at him.” (Mark 6: 2-3)

In life’s often mysterious journey, God reveals his/her wisdom and power in people and events that we least expect… It is akin to that “gentle breeze” that reveals God’s “passing by”… Thus beware that we take no offense at the way God reveals him/herself.

Learning how to forgive...

"Proclaim reconciliation always and be agents of peace among the citizens of your homeland, encouraging them to undertake the path of Christian reconciliation: forgiveness liberates first of all the one who has the courage to grant it." (Benedict XVI to the Bishops of Croatia)

The first hard lesson in interreligious dialogue is to LEARN how to forgive and be forgiven... With the hurt and the wars that have often marred interreligious relations, there is the URGENT need to learn how to forgive and be reconciled with our neighbors.

Meditation on the Blood of Christ...

"In the world, innocent human blood is continually being spilled. The hearts of men are often full of hate rather than evangelical love, they often contain disdain and arrogance rather than care for mankind. Pray that modern humanity may experience the power of the Blood of Christ, poured out on the cross for our salvation."(Benedict XVI)

Charles de Foucauld's Radical Choice...

Charles de Foucauld was not a “perfect” human being, far from it. His life was a radical choice in service of God and his “beloved Jesus”. He went out to live with the farthest away and poorest of peoples. He spent hours in prayer - in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. His days were spent in welcoming everyone and he became as a “brother” to all who came to his hut.

He did not found a single institute yet there are religious families of men and women born from the profound intuition of Charles. They are called as “little brothers” and “little sisters” and they are spread out in the most remote corners throughout the world. These spiritual children of the “universal brother” have made their priority the poorest populations, the most abandoned, farthest from society.

There are also thousands of priests and laypersons who have discovered through his message a way of living the Gospel more fully to the ends of the earth, in fraternal sharing, caring for the smallest among us, and in silent adoration.

There are finally all those who have discovered the grandeur of this personality and its spiritual dimension that do not belong to his spiritual family or even to his religion.

Blessed Charles, who through his trials and errors, his thirst for solitude and for relationships, his great love of God and of his neighbor, still shows us today the way to universal brother/sisterhood!

He invites us to leave our frivolousness, our reassuring boundaries, our small spiritual comfort, to rise to the numbers of challenges that he confronted without always succeeding. It is up to us to continue the path that he outlined for us”. (Bishop Claude Rault who had served in the Algerian Sahara)

Charles de Foucauld's Prayer of Abandonemnet

Mon Père, je m'abandonne à toi,
Fais de moi ce qu'il te plaira.
Quoi que tu fasses de moi,
Je te remercie.
Je suis prêt à tout,
J'accepte tout.
Pourvu que ta volonté se fasse en moi,
En toutes tes créatures.
Je ne désire rien d'autre, mon Dieu.
Je remets mon âme entre tes mains.
Je te la donne, mon Dieu,
Avec tout l'amour de mon coeur.
Parce que je t'aime,
Et que ce m'est un besoin d'amour de me donner.
De me remettre entre tes mains sans mesure,
Avec une infinie confianceCar tu es mon Père.

A star is born and a star dies, praise be the the name of the Lord... 

Dhikr for the 13th week of the ordinary time (B)

“She had heard about Jesus and came up behind him in the crowd and touched his cloak. She said, ‘If I but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.’ Immediately her flow of blood dried up. She felt in her body that she was healed of her affliction.” (Mark 5: 27-29)

In our journey through life, we, too, have experiences of healing touches… Like the woman in the gospel, we do say… ‘if but touch his clothes, I shall be cured.’ And healing begins…!

Fatiha

One of the first prayers in the Qur’an memorized very early by every Muslim child is the Surat ul-Fatiha. It is the opening Sura (Chapter) of the Qur’an. The language of Islam and the Qur’an is Arabic and therefore all Muslims learn to chant the verses in this poetic language.

The Fatiha is a wonderful summary of Muslim belief that God is the Lord of all being, entirely separate from the world yet forever present and aware, providing a Path from darkness into light and a direction for worship and praise.

“In the name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Praise be to God, the Lord of all being.
The Merciful, the Compassionate.
Master of the Day of Judgement.
It is you alone that we serve.
It is only from you that we seek aid.
Guide us on the straight path.
The path of those whom you have blessed.
Not of those with whom you are displeased.
Nor of those who go astray. Amin"
(Translated by Matthew S. Gordon)

Beware of the yeast of the Pharisees...

"Not everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' will enter the kingdom of heaven, * but only the one who does the will of my Father in heaven. Many will say to me on that day, 'Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name? Did we not drive out demons in your name? Did we not do mighty deeds in your name?' Then I will declare to them solemnly, 'I never knew you. Depart from me, you evildoers.' (Matthew 7: 21 – 23)

When our words are, indeed, BOLD… yet our deeds ARE LACKING, we are partaking of the yeast of the Pharisees. BEWARE….!

Pearls before swine...

"Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.” (Matthew 7: 6)

We, often, wonder why people keep giving what is holy to dogs and precious pearls before swine…

Beware that we do not act as dogs and swine when we are challenged to live the kingdom values… in our deeds and words.

In friendship and solidarity with the Tibetan monks as they struggle for freedom... 

Be quiet and be still...

Gosple reading for the 12th Sunday of the ordinary year (B)

On that day, as evening drew on, he said to them, "Let us cross to the other side." Leaving the crowd, they took him with them in the boat just as he was. And other boats were with him. A violent squall came up and waves were breaking over the boat, so that it was already filling up. Jesus was in the stern, asleep on a cushion. They woke him and said to him, "Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?" He woke up, rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, "Quiet! Be still!" The wind ceased and there was great calm. Then he asked them, "Why are you terrified? Do you not yet have faith?" They were filled with great awe and said to one another, "Who then is this whom even wind and sea obey?" (Mark 4: 35-41)

We do have experiences of turbulence and storm in life...
In those times, we are invited to hear, once again, Jesus words: "Be quiet and be still!"...

The Newness in Christ Message...

"You have heard that it was said, 'An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.' But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on (your) right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow. (Matthew 5: 38-42)

· No resistance to one who is evil…
· Turning the other cheek…
· Handing over your cloak, as well…
· Going the extra mile…
· Not turning of one’s back from the needy…

Are these the values we live by…?