Sr. Mary Franca, disciple of Jesus Master

Today, I would like to write about my beautiful sister Mary Franca. She celebrates her “spring” today as she leaves this earth and enters into life where there is no more winter, autumn, summer. The Lord has taken her with him to celebrate her “eternal spring” bringing to full transformation 59 years of earthly sojourn!
It was an unexpected departure but at the same time, a well-prepared one. See her radiant photo here which I took after we celebrated her reception of the Sacrament of Extreme Unction last March 5 with her brother Mariano, a diocesan priest himself presiding and with the presence of another brother, Guido and his wife Patricia. Who would have known that she had only a few more days to live after this!
As I reflected with the jubilarian sisters last Sunday about Franca’s life, I remembered saying how God “measures” our time without really letting us “into the secret” about its duration. At 24 Franca was already missionary in the USA. In her mid-thirties, she was Regional Superior and at 40, General Councillor. And she has continued to serve our religious family in the general level for almost 20 years. Her life was “full:” overflowing, pressed down, shaken together! An authentic disciple of Jesus Master, she personifies giving oneself to the full and she will remain an inspiration to all of us even in the last moment of her life, her acceptance of suffering and her going through the path of purification.
It is very painful to see her leave and I know that it will take time for me to get used to her kind of “presence” in our midst. But my greatest consolation is the knowledge that she is in the realm where no more suffering or pain could reach her. She is finally in God’s embrace! Thank you, dear Franca, for your sisterly love and your faithful discipleship!

spring

Spring begins today here in the northern hemisphere. But I have no words... only this to share. Click on my latest presentation.

water is grace

Water.
This is the recurrent theme of today’s liturgical readings (cf. Ez 47:1-9.12; Jn 5:1-3.5-16). Water that gradually rises and becomes a river that could not be crossed, but at the same time becomes a blessing, a source of life, for all the creatures touched by it.
It is the metaphor for the “life of grace,” offered by our Lord Jesus Christ to all who are ready to receive it.
The invitation to me today is how to become “water” to all I live and work with today: how to be a source of refreshment, energy, joy, life – perhaps with a simple smile, an encouraging word, a loving and comforting touch.

St. Joseph

Here where I live, March 19 is celebrated as “Fathers’ Day.” It’s to celebrate St. Joseph, foster Father of Jesus and husband of Mary. The priest in this morning’s mass rightly says how iconography has not done so much justice to St. Joseph, portraying him, almost always, as a septegenarian (at times even older!), more as the grandfather, rather than the husband of Mary!
Something seems to change, however, in portraying St. Joseph in cinema. The last film The Nativity shown last Christmas season, gives us a young Joseph, almost Mary’s age. One thing that remains common in the various portrayals of Joseph, however, is his biblical image as a silent and listening person - attributes which become the “fertile terrain” for the Word of God to grow and develop in his life. I’d like to imagine that Jesus learned how to pray not only from Mary but also from Joseph. I’d like to believe that the beautiful and tender image of God as Father which Jesus taught his disciples comes not only from his divine consciousness nor from his Jewish tradition but also from his human experience of having such a loving and discerning father as Joseph!
Happy feastday to all the Joseph’s and Josephine’s! Happy Feastday to all Fathers!

God's tender womb

The homily of the priest on today's Gospel (Lk 15,1-3;11-32) touched on Rembrandt's painting again. But there was something new: he told us to look at the painting closely and see how the "converted" son is intimately drawn to the father's "womb." The comment is a reinforcement of the "mother-father" figure portrayed in the hands (see my post last March 10).
Biblically, the "mercy" of God is associated more to the "womb," hence to the more maternal, feminine figure. "God is indeed father, but also mother!" says John Paul I. Personally, I feel that our Christian spirituality needs a lot of balancing in these dimensions. Our image of God as paternal provider, protector, just "judge" is good. But he repeatedly makes us understand too that (s)he is nourisher, nurse, healer - figures we normally associate with womenly qualities.
May the Lord bless us all with his mercy; may we be imbued with his patient, forgiving and passionate love as we start a new week with Him.

Saint Patrick

Today is Paddy’s Day, that is St. Patrick’s nickname in Irish.
Last February 15, my brother brought me to St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin where we participated in the solemn Evensong. It was my first time to attend Vespers in a Protestant Church. And even the thought of a reformation Church bearing the name of a “Catholic Saint” intrigued me. But that’s exactly where “I need to get converted,” says my brother. “Catholic” means universal; St. Patrick was not “canonized” by the Roman Catholic Church, my brother continues. He was “made” a saint by the people, both the Irish (catholics?) and non-Irish alike (protestants…?).
Pope Benedict XVI is working hard on ecumenism. Wonder if he could consider St. Patrick as one of the main “ecumenical, missionary saints” of Europe.
May God's blessings be showered upon all the Patrick's of today! Click here for more on St. Patrick, his life and confession.

prayer

One "song" keeps playing on my mind and I need to "sing" it to you: Prayer! The emails I receive this time from friends all over the world only reinforce the beautiful "melody." Yesterday, for example, someone sent me this simple comprehensive method of prayer - it's called 5-finger prayer.

1. Our thumb is nearest to us. So we can begin our prayers by praying for those closest to us. They are the easiest to remember. To pray for our loved ones is, as C. S. Lewis once said, a "sweet duty."
2. The next finger is the pointing finger. Let us pray for those who teach, instruct and heal. This includes teachers, doctors, communicators and ministers. They need support and wisdom in pointing others in the right direction. Let us keep them in our prayers.
3. The next finger is the tallest finger. It reminds us of our leaders. Let us pray for the president, leaders in business and industry, and administrators. These people shape our nation and guide public opinion. They need God's guidance.
4. The fourth finger is our ring finger. Surprising to many is the fact that this is our weakest finger, as any piano teacher will testify. It should remind us to pray for those who are weak, in trouble or in pain. They need our prayers day and night. We cannot pray too much for them.
5. And lastly comes our little finger - the smallest finger of all which is where we should place ourselves in relation to God and others. As the Bible says, "The least shall be the greatest among you." Our pinkie should remind us to pray for ourselves. By the time we have prayed for the other four groups, our own needs will be put into proper perspective and we will be able to pray for ourselves more effectively.

And just now, another email arrived carrying this beautiful slide on the same "melody." Enjoy it and sing it with me as you go through the ups and downs of your life today: http://www.slideshare.net/gemmav/asap/

Eucharist

Variations on a theme. First it was Deus Caritas Est (God is Love). Now it is Sacramentum Caritatis (The Sacrament of Love), the post-synodal apostolic exhortation on the Eucharist. I’m talking of Pope Benedict XVI’s “gifts of love” to the church and to the world. The first was the encyclical published on Christmas 2005 and the second is the exhortation written on the Feast of the Chair of Peter, 22nd February this year and published 3 days ago. The Pope, being a musician, aims for harmony and what power in this life (and beyond) could bring such harmony than “Caritas!” I guess Burt Bacharach would agree wholeheartedly: “What the world needs now is love sweet love…”
An interesting word in the first part of the encyclical on the Eucharist caught my attention: nuclear fission. In number 11 of Sacramentum Caritatis the Pope speaks of the substantial conversion of bread and wine into Jesus’ Body and Blood, introducing within creation the principle of a radical change in the likeness of “nuclear fission.” What is nuclear fission? An encyclopaedia I consulted says “nuclear fission—also known as atomic fission—is a process in nuclear physics and nuclear chemistry in which the nucleus of an atom splits into two or more smaller nuclei as fission products, and usually some by-product particles. Hence, fission is a form of elemental transmutation.” What comes out of nuclear fission? Again, my source says, “fission is useful as a power source because some materials, called nuclear fuels, generate neutrons as part of the fission process and undergo triggered fission when impacted by a free neutron.” In short, nuclear fission produces energy, which could be multiplied a million times, through some sort of chain reaction.
I love the image of the Eucharist as an energy source -- introduced into our world by Someone who went deep into the heart of God, his intention, his design for all creation and creatures: a “concentrated moment,” (the Last Supper), simple species of daily life (bread, wine) all pointing to the sole moment that counts – death. No simple death, though, but death united to Life and Love. What indeed is the one motive worth dying for? LOVE!

wife versus husband

I received a delightful email today which I'd like to share here. The instructions say: "Send it to smart women who need a laugh and to men whom you think can handle it."
Wife vs. Husband:
A couple drove down a country road for several miles, not saying a word. An earlier discussion had led to an argument and neither of them wanted to concede their position. As they passed a barnyard of mules, goats, and pigs, the husband asked sarcastically, "Relatives of yours?"
"Yep," the wife replied, "in-laws."
War of words:
A husband read an article to his wife about how many words women use a day... 30,000 to a man's 15,000.
The wife replied, "The reason has to be because we have to repeat everything to men...
The husband then turned to his wife and asked, "What?"
Creation story:
A man said to his wife one day, "I don't know how you can be so stupid and so beautiful all at the same time."
The wife responded, "Allow me to explain. God made me beautiful so you would be attracted to me; God made me stupid so I would be attracted to you! "
The Bible says so...
A man and his wife were having an argument about who should brew the coffee each morning.
The wife said, "You should do it, because you get up first, and then we don't have to wait as long to get our coffee."
The husband said, "You are in charge of cooking around here and you should do it, because that is your job, and I can just wait for my coffee."
Wife replies, "No, you should do it, and besides, it is in the Bible that the man should do the coffee."
Husband replies, "I can't believe that, show me."
So she fetched the Bible, and opened the New Testament and showed him at the top of several pages, that it indeed says.........."HEBREWS"
The Silent Treatment:
A man and his wife were having some problems at home and were giving each other the silent treatment. Suddenly, the man realized that the next day, he would need his wife to wake him at 5:00 am for an early morning business flight. Not wanting to be the first to break the silence (and LOSE), he wrote on a piece of paper, "Please wake me at 5:00 am." He left it where he knew she would find it.
The next morning, the man woke up, only to discover it was 9:00 am and he had missed his flight. Furious, he was about to go and see why his wife hadn't wakened him, when he noticed a piece of paper by the bed. The paper said, "It is 5:00 am. Wake up." Men are not equipped for these kinds of contests.

second life

Something caught my eye in the tabloid that was handed to me while leaving the metro station yesterday. Ever heard of Second Life? Born in 2003, it's a virtual community which now brags of 4.5 million "inhabitants" mainly "personages" who desire to begin again, starting from zero. By the way, the "inhabitants," if I understood right, are avatars (Hindu for the incarnate deity).
Then early this morning I was awakened by this radio tune: "What if God was one of us?...in the bus on his way home!" Like it or not, our age is not content with what it is getting. We have deeper questions other than money, power, sex, etc. Sadly, most of us don't know where to turn to, here and now, in this First (and Real) life. What consoles me is that we continue to ask questions and to search. For as long as there is that hunger, that desire, I trust we are in place!

conversion

What does conversion mean for someone who struggles daily to be at peace with her God, with herself, with others? The experience of Moses in today's First Reading (Ex 3:1-8.13-15) provides an insight. Conversion is drawing closer to the "Mystery" in the most intimate way possible; it is delving deeply into the "Presence" who is both "tremendum et fascinans," frightening but also fascinating!
But there is more: conversion is at the same time fuller and passionate engagement with persons, human reality, current events, signs of the times. It is embracing reality in one's heart, with all its pains and joys, and uniting all these to the heart of God.
Such is the challenge I am living today, Third Sunday of Lent . I'd like so much to stay quiet, enjoy this day of prayer and recollection but the constant calls won't leave me at peace.
Hence I live conversion by making myself available, opening my heart to the Mystery of every reality, of every person. I "seek the face of God" and ask "his Name" -- as I speak to a person and contemplate her reality. Then, in my silent moment, when it finally comes, I bring her before God, fully entrusting her to the all-good, all-knowing, all-beautiful Father/Mother/Lover/ Master/Friend.

God as father and mother

Luke's parable of the prodigal son (Lk 15:1-2.11-32) used to perplex me: Where is the mother in this drama? Poor father, I thought, torn between extreme forces with no help at all: the younger son, a restless lot, "moving in and out all the time" and the older son, rigid, repressed in his desires, unable to ask his father even for a "young goat to feast with his friends." (15:29) Where is the mother indeed?
Henri Nouwen's commentary on Rembrandt's painting of the same episode gave me the answer: "the mother is in the father". Just look at the hands, says Nouwen:
"The longer I look at 'the patriarch', the clearer it becomes to me that Rembrandt has done something quite different from letting God pose as the wise old head of a family. It all began with the hands. The two are quite different. The father's left hand touching the son's shoulder is strong and muscular. The fingers are spread out and cover a large part of the prodigal son's shoulder and back. I can see a certain pressure, especially in the thumb. That hand seems not only to touch, but, with its strength, also to hold. Even though there is a gentleness in the way the father's left hand touches his son, it is not without a firm grip.
"How different is the father's right hand! This hand does not hold or grasp. It is refined, soft, and very tender. The fingers are close to each other and they have an elegant quality. It lies gently upon the son's shoulder. It wants to caress, to stroke, and to offer consolation and comfort. It is a mother's hand.... "As soon as I recognized the difference between the two hands of the father, a new world of meaning opened up for me. The Father is not simply a great patriarch. He is mother as well as father. He touches the son with a masculine hand and a feminine hand. He holds, and she caresses. He confirms and she consoles.
He is , indeed, God, in whom both manhood and womanhood, fatherhood and motherhood, are fully present. "

who will take the son?

This morning, I was blessed to attend the Eucharist officiated by Cardinal Rosales with some priests of Collegio Filippino and a circle of close friends. We were by the tomb of St. Peter's, Vatican City. Commenting on today's Gospel (Mt 21:33-43.45), Cardinal Rosales called to mind the dramatic consequence of our unmindfulness (forgetfulness??) of the fact that in Christ, we already have everything in our hands. In today's parable, the hired workers in the vineyard wanted to get everything, so they killed everyone sent by the owner, including the owner's son.
The challenge posed by this Gospel, as the good Cardinal reminds us, is how to remain faithful and truthful to our calling as "workers in the vineyard;" to work with much conviction that the Father wants to give us everything in his Son; to trust that fidelity to our vocation of following the Son will not only bring forth fruits but will also assure us of the promised inheritance; to believe that Jesus is indeed the Way to receive everything our hearts ever dream of acquiring.
On my way home, I was reminded of the modern day parable that a friend from the Philippines emailed me lately. Here's the "modern version" of today's parable:

A wealthy man and his son loved to collect rare works of art. They had everything in their collection, from Picasso to Raphael. They would often sit together and admire the great works of art.
When the Vietnam conflict broke out, the son went to war. He was very courageous and died in battle while rescuing another soldier. The father was notified and grieved deeply for his only son.
About month later, just before Christmas, there was a knock at the door. A young man stood at the door with a large package in his hands. He said, "Sir, you don't know me, but I am the soldier for whom your son gave his life. He saved many lives that day, and he was carrying me to safety when a bullet struck him in the heart and he died instantly. He often talked about you, and your love for art."
The young man held out his package. "I know this isn't much. I'm not really a great artist, but I think your son would have wanted you to have this." The father opened the package. It was a portrait of his son, painted by the young man. He stared in awe at the way the soldier had captured the personality of his son in the painting. The father was so drawn to the eyes that his own eyes welled up with tears. He thanked the young man and offered to pay him for the picture. "Oh, no sir, I could never repay what your son did for me. It's a gift."
The father hung the portrait over his mantle. Every time visitors came to his home he took them to see the portrait of his son before he showed them any of the other great works he had collected.
The man died a few months later. There was to be a great auction of his paintings. Many influential people gathered, excited over seeing the great paintings and having an opportunity to purchase one for their collection.
On the platform sat the painting of the son. The auctioneer pounded his gavel. "We will start the bidding with this picture of the son. Who will bid for this picture?" There was silence.
Then a voice in the back of the room shouted, "We want to see the famous paintings. Skip this one." But the auctioneer persisted. "Will somebody bid for this painting. Who will start the bidding? $100, $200?" Another voiced angrily. "We didn't come to see this painting. We came to see the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts. Get on with the real bids!" But still the auctioneer continued. "The son! The son! Who'll take the son?"
Finally, a voice came from the very back of the room. It was the longtime gardener of the man and his son. "I'll give $10 for the painting." Being a poor man, it was all he could afford. "We have $10, who will bid $20?"
"Give it to him for $10. Let's see the masters."
"$10 is the bid, won't someone bid $20?"
The crowd was becoming angry. They didn't want the picture of the son. They wanted the more worthy investments for their collections.
The auctioneer pounded the gavel. "Going once, twice, SOLD for $10!"
A man sitting on the second row shouted, "Now let's get on with the collection!"
The auctioneer laid down his gavel. "I'm sorry, the auction is over."
"What about the paintings?"
"I am sorry. When I was called to conduct this auction, I was told of a secret stipulation in the will. I was not allowed to reveal that stipulation until this time: Only the painting of the son would be auctioned. Whoever bought that painting would inherit the entire estate, including the paintings. The man who took the son gets everything!"
God's message today is: "The son, the son, who'll take the son?"
Whoever takes the Son gets everything.

Jesus, a woman???

Louise (PDDM Ireland) recently sent me an interesting message giving arguments why Jesus could be black / californian / american indian / italian / irish / jewish. But the one I like best is this:
The most compelling evidence of all - 3 proofs that Jesus was a woman:
1. He fed a crowd at a moment's notice when there was no food.
2. He kept trying to get a message across to a bunch of men who just didn't get it.
3. And even when He was dead, He had to get up because there was work to do.

Bless God for women! May (S)he be blessed forever! Happy Women's Day!

women disciples

No wonder James and John are known as sons of thunder, having such an intrepid mother (see today's gospel Mt 20:17-28). I'd like to believe that this woman eventually became a disciple too and continued to inspire others to follow the Master courageously.

She reminds me of two other women disciples - Perpetua and Felicity - who celebrate the anniversary of their martyrdom today. In the account of Perpetua's martyrdom, we read, "that she might taste some pain, being pierced between the ribs, cried out loudly, and she herself placed the wavering right hand of the youthful gladiator to her throat. Possibly such a woman could not have been slain unless she herself had willed it."
For more of this inspiring account, you can visit, http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0324.htm

who needs teachers?

Children need teachers... and everyone with a "heuristic" spirit. Ever heard of "eureka?", the greek for "I got it!" Some call it the "aha experience!"
Persons who have a great sense of wonder, curiosity, discipline and who go all the way to find answers to their questions are usually rewarded with this experience.
I've an inkling that Maria, a chinese lady, I interviewed yesterday, could be such a person. A promising artist from a province west of Beijing, she finished 1 year of painting lessons in Ukraine. Now she is in Rome looking for a place where she can continue her studies in sacred arts. She was referred to us by the rector of one of the Pontifical Universities here.
Let's see what comes out of her search. Meanwhile, I asked her if she could consider giving me chinese language lessons while here in Rome. I need a teacher too!

love vs death

Meet Joe Black. It's the title of the film I saw last night. Intriguing indeed! It's about eros versus thanatos, love versus death: which is stronger. Love is strong as death says the Song of Songs (8:6). The film says, teach death what love is and you'll know the answer.
Death walks with us everyday. Have you ever listened to the news without hearing any report of death(s)? The challenge remains how to teach ourselves to love.

motherhood of God

Beside the Bible in my room is a wooden carving from Congo: a tall mother with three babies - in front, at the back and another swinging on her legs! She is God's picture for me: maternal love without limits. A perfect visual commentary for this Monday's Word of God: "Give and it will be given to you - good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back." (Lk 6:38)

yin-yang experience

It just occurred to me: Jesus' transfiguration was also his "dark night!"
No doubt this event happened in the heart of night; in fact, his friends (Peter, James and John) who witnessed it were "weighed down with sleep!" (Lk 9:32).
I guess we could go deeper: Jesus-at-prayer was already anticipating his passion and death, his "dark night". That's when the Father came to show him the "bigger picture" - and HE was ENLIGHTENED, indeed he was RADIANT WITH LIGHT. He understood his mission: he is here to fulfill the Scriptures: the First Testament (Moses and Elijah - the Law and the Prophets) and the Second Testament (Passion-Death-Resurrection).

In the transfiguration, we are privy to Jesus' "yin/yang" experience -- explosion of light in the heart of darkness! In Jesus, darkness is a prelude to light, death is pregnant with life!
So in Jesus, we can pray:
When from the darkness comes no light,
when from the weeping comes no laughter,
when in the day we hope for night nor any comfort coming after:
Grant us your peace.
When in our confidence our fears clutch at the heart and make us tremble;
when in our joy we weep cold tears and in our frankness we dissemble:
Grant us your light.
When in our love there is not care and in our yearning we are dullness;
when what we know we cannot dare and we are nothing that is fullness:
Grant us your truth.
(text by B. McLaughlin and music by C. Mawby)

on being perfect

God's word today, "Be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect" (Mt 5:48) used to perplex me until I learned reading it in its immediate context (love your enemies, Mt 5:43-47). I realize now that it means: Love the unlovable, love those who don't love me, etc. Of course, it remains just as much a challenge now as it was before. But at least, I don't interpret it anymore in the narrow view of human perfection but in the light of human interaction.
Luke's version is also very helpful: "Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful" (Lk 6:36). Being "perfect" is activating the "mercy" "tenderness" "love" that is already implanted in me.