Category: church

Ang “Ama Namin” at ang mga Ama natin

Lawiswis ng Salita ni P. Nicanor F. Lalog II, Ika-20 ng Hulyo, 2023
Larawan kuha ng may-akda, Pater Noster Church sa Jerusalem, Israel, Mayo 2019.

Noong batang pari pa ako sa isang parokya sa Malolos, tinanong ko mga matatanda na nagrorosaryo araw-araw, “Bakit po kayo nagmamadali sa pagdarasal at kaagad-agad kayong sumasagot hindi pa tapos unang bahagi ng Ama Namin at Aba Ginoong Maria?”

Sa mga lumaki sa probinsiya na tulad ko, alam ninyo aking tinutukoy. Iyon bang papatapos pa lamang mga salitang “sunding ang loob mo dito sa lupa para nang…” biglang sasagot yung kabilang grupo ng matatanda ng “bigyan mo kami ng kakanin sa araw-araw”.

Nagsasalakupan (merge) ang wakas at simula ng dalawang bahagi ng Ama Namin at Aba Ginoong Maria kaya madalas ay nakatatawa o nakaaaliw pakinggan. Lalo naman ang kanilang dahilan – anila, iyon daw ay upang hindi makasingit ang demonyo sa kanilang pagdarasal!

Naalala ko ang kuwentong ito nang mangyari ang paglapastangan noong isang linggo sa ating panalanging Ama Namin sa isang drag concert ng mga LGBTQ+. Sa aking pakiwari ay iyon nga ang nangyari – nasingitan tayo ng demonyo sa pamamagitan ng tanging panalanging itinuro mismo ng Panginoong Jesus sa atin na kung tawagin ay “the Lord’s Prayer.”

At huwag nating hanapin ang demonyo o kasamaan doon sa iba kungdi mismo sa ating mga sarili lalo na kaming mga pari at obispo ng Simbahan, ang tinaguriang mga ama natin. Malaki ang aming pagkukulang bilang mga pari at obispo sa nangyaring paglapastangang ito sa Ama Namin.

Pagmasdan mga pangyayari na matalinghaga rin.

Unang-unang ang nakapagtataka na gawing malaking isyu naming mga pari at ng ilang Obispo kung ano dapat ang posisyon ng mga kamay ng mga mananampalataya o layko sa pagdarasal at pag-awit ng Ama Namin sa loob ng Banal na Misa.

Bakit ito naging usapin gayong mayroon namang nakasaad sa aklat ng pagmimisa na “Ilalahad ng pari ang kanyang mga kamay at ipahahayag niya kaisa ng lahat” ang Ama Namin?

Hindi ba sapat ang nakatakda sa liturhiya at mga aklat? Kaya hindi maiwasan puna ng maraming tao sa aming mga pari na para daw wala kaming natutunan ni alam sa kabila ng maraming taon sa seminaryo. Juicecolored. Sabi nga ni Shakespeare, “much ado about nothing.”

Ikalawa ay ang nakalulungkot na naging tugon ng mga Obispo natin: sa halip na panghawakan at panindigan ang sinasaad ng alituntunin, mas pinili nilang magkaroon ng interpretasyon ng batas. Naliwanagan ba mga tao? Sa palagay ko po ay hindi. Lalo silang naguluhan dahil hanggang ngayon mayroon pa ring nagtatanong.

Hindi ko kinakalaban kapasyahan ng mga Obispo natin. Sila ang mga ama natin sa Simbahan ngunit ibig kong ihayag ang aking kabiguan na hindi nila pinanindigan ang sinasaad ng batas na pari lamang ang maglalahad ng kanyang mga kamay sa Ama Namin. Walang kulang sa batas at sakto lang. Sa ginawa ng CBCP, nadagdagan ang batas ng kanilang sariling interpretasyon na kung tutuusin din naman ay malagihay. Nagtatanong ang mga tao kung ano ang dapat, sa kanilang pahayag ay para nang sinabi nilang “bahala kayo kung ano gusto ninyo kasi wala namang sinasabi ang batas na masama ang ilahad ang mga kamay.”

Diyan ako hindi mapalagay dahil ano ang susunod na isyu? Pagpalakpak na talamak na rin sa mga pagdiriwang ng Misa na nawala na ang kasagraduhan. Para nang concert, showbiz parang That’s Entertainment! Pansinin maraming pari pati na mga choir, sakristan, lektor at eucharistic lay minister na puro pasikat ginagawa sa Misa. Natabunan at nawala na si Kristo!

Totoong walang sinasabi saan man sa mga aklat, sa mga turo at tradisyon ng Simbahan na ipinagbabawal ang paglalahad ng mga kamay ng mga layko sa pagdarasal ng Ama Namin.

Ngunit hindi rin naman nangangahulugang maari o puwede at tama na rin iyong gawin dahil simple lang sinasabi ng aklat, pari ang nakalahad ang mga kamay. Tapos.

Magtiwala tayo sa salita, sa alituntunin ng liturhiya tulad ng sinasaad sa ebanghelyo noong Linggo nang ilabas ng CBCP ang paliwanag sa naturang usapin. Kay gandang balikan ang talinghaga ng maghahasik na ukol sa kapangyarihan ng salita ng Diyos at kahalagahan ng pakikinig at pagsunod dito na nangangailangan ng pagtitiwala at kababaang-loob natin natin. Lalo namin!

Sa ganang akin, pinanghawakan at pinanindigan sana ng mga Obispo ang sinasaad sa aklat upang lalo itong mag-ugat at lumago.

Larawan kuha ni Emre Kuzu sa Pexels.com

Ikatlo, ang talinghaga at laro ng tadhana. Tingnan habang abala – at aligaga ilang mga pari at obispo na pangunahan pati paglathala na nakatakda pa sa ika-16 ng Hulyo 2023 ng kalatas sa simpleng bagay ng posisyon ng kamay ng mga tao sa pagdarasal ng Ama Namin ay saka nangyari ang drag concert.

Ang masakit sa lahat, walang diyosesis at obispo kaagad naglabas ng opisyal na pahayag sa nangyaring paglapastangan sa Ama Namin maliban makaraan ang ilang araw na lamang na pawang mga bantilawan din, kasi nga, mas pinahalagahan nila kanilang paliwanag sa posisyon ng kamay ng mga tao sa pagdarasal nito.

Pagmasdan na tayo sa simbahan ay naroon pa rin sa posisyon ng kamay ang usapin habang yaong mga lumapastangan sa Ama Namin ay nasa kanta at sayaw na? Paurong ang asenso, eka nga. Hindi nila binago ang titik pero kanilang pamamaraan ng pagdarasal ay sadyang mali at hindi tama ngunit, gahibla na lamang ng buhok ang pagkakaiba ng drag qeen na si Pura at ng mga tao na ibig ilahad ang kamay sa pagdarasal ng Ama Namin – parehong nasa larangan ng interpretasyon! Sasabihin ng iba na malayong-malayo iyon pero, paka-ingat tayo dahil baka doon mapadpad ang pagbibigay-laya sa mga tao na ilahad mga kamay sa Ama Namin. Hindi ba ito rin ay binhi na maaring lumago sa higit na malaking pagkakaligaw at pagkakamali balang araw? Gaya ng nasabi ko na, hindi magtatagal isasabatas na rin pagpalakpak sa loob ng Misa na talamak na ngang nangyayari.

Totoo na mayroong higit na mahalagang mga bagay dapat talakayin at pagnilayan kesa sa ginawang drag performance ng Ama Namin tulad ng mga palalang sitwasyon ng kawalan natin ng moralidad sa bansa tulad ng pikit-mata nating paghaya sa EJK noon, ang patuloy na paghahalal sa mga bugok at bulok na pulitiko at marami pang iba.

Subalit, gayon din sana naging pamantayan ng CBCP sa pagtalakay ng posisyon ng kamay sa pagdarasal ng Ama Namin. Ito ang mabigat sa mga lumabas na paliwanag at pagninilay na sadyang tama at magaganda: isang bahagi lang ng kuwento ating sinaysay.

Aminin natin malaking pagkukulang nating mga pari at obispo ng Simbahan bilang mga ama ng sambayanan.

Aminin natin sadyang nagkulang tayo sa ating mga tungkulin at naging abala sa maraming bagay at nakalimutan pinakamahalaga, ang Diyos mismo na hanggang ngayon siyang hangad ng lahat. Hindi pa ba tumitimo sa atin ang bigat ng tunay na isyu, ang panalanging Ama Namin na saklaw at tungkulin nating mga pari at Obispo? Malayo na nga siguro tayo sa paghahayag, pagtuturo at pagsasabuhay ng salita ng Diyos.

Bukod sa mga oras na ginugugol sa mga maliliit na bagay gaya ng posisyon ng kamay sa Ama Namin, matagal nang maraming interpretasyon mga ama natin sa Simbahan sa mga nangyayari sa ating kapaligiran. Ang mga tahasang pamumulitika sa mga nagdaang halalan na kahit mga kandidatong umaayon sa diborsiyo, abortion at contraceptives, at same sex union ay inendorso. Higit sa lahat, ang pagbubulag-bulagan ng maraming obispo at pari sa kalabisan ng ilang sa amin na namumuhay taliwas sa halimbawa ni Kristo. Marami sa aming mga pari at obispo ang hindi kapulutan ng halimbawa ng karukhaan at kababaang-loob, langong-lango sa kapangyarihan at katanyagan, malayong-malayo sa mga tao maliban sa mga makapangyarihan, mayayaman, at mababango. Wala na kaming pinag-usapan maski sa loob ng Misa kungdi kolekta, pinagandang pangalan ng pera, kwarta at salapi!

Masakit po sabihin na kung ang isang pangungusap sa Aklat ng Pagmimisa na “Ilalahad ng pari ang kanyang mga kamay at ipahahayag niya kaisa ng lahat” ang Ama Namin ay hindi natin napanghawakan at napanindigan, paano pa yaong mga salita sa Banal na Kasulatan? Sa mga bulto-bultong dokumento nagsasabing tayo ay Simbahan ng mga aba at maralita?

Suriin po natin ang lahat ng panig. Lalo na ating mga sarili ng buong kababaang-loob sa liwanag ni Kristo na ating Panginoon na siyang “daan at katotohanan at buhay”. Una siyang natatagpuan sa kanyang mga salita dahil siya nga ang Salita na naging tao na naroon palagi sa Santisimo Sakramento ng simbahan. Ito sana ang aming tingnan at pagnilayan bilang mga pari at obispo sa gitna ng mga pangyayaring paglapastangan sa Ama Namin ng isang drag concert at ang usapin ng paano dasalin panalanging itinuro ng Panginoon natin. Nasaan na nga ba si Kristo sa aming mga pari at obispo? Nagdarasal pa rin ba tayo na mga pari at obispo?

Salamat po sa pagbabasa. Kung sakaling nakatulong, pagyamanin; kung hindi naman, kalimutan at huwag na ninyong pansinin.

Finding Jesus in two unlikely partners

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Thursday, Solemnity of Sts. Peter & Paul, Apostles, 29 June 2023
Acts 12:1-11 ><}}}}*> 2 Timothy 4:6-8, 17-18 ><}}}}*> Matthew 16:13-19
The lithography of Sts. Peter and Paul in Missale Romanum by unknown artist with initials F.M.S (19. cent.) printed by Typis Friderici Pustet. (Renáta Sedmáková | us.fotolia.com)
Praise and glory to you,
Lord Jesus Christ
for this Solemnity of your
two great Apostles,
Sts. Peter and Paul
whom you have both 
chosen to be the solid rock
on which your Church is built,
remaining forever her 
protectors and guides;
to them Rome owes her greatness
when you, O Lord, led them to
sanctify that capital of the 
ancient Empire
with their martyrdom 
to become the center of
the Christian world
until now.
In their great efforts
of fulfilling your mission,
there emerged a most unique
even unlikely partnership
in making you known,
O Lord, teaching us
that important lesson 
that discipleship is always
being together with others
being sent on a mission,
never alone nor simply a case 
of "me and Jesus"  
as we would always
insist.

Teach us, dear Jesus,
to be like Sts. Peter and Paul
focused only in you to overcome
our many differences in the Church; 
help us to set aside 
our biases and prejudices
to always find you 
as the very essence 
of our discipleship;
may we learn to
respect each other
by finding you in
each co-worker
and with everyone
we serve and meet.

May our lives
mirror your true person,
Lord Jesus, 
so that people are not
misled to who 
you really are.
How inspiring 
that both Sts. Peter and Paul 
were imprisoned for preaching
your name and yet, 
no bars nor chains not
even death held them captives
in spreading your good news;  
in fact, some of the finest 
parts of the New Testament
were composed when both
Apostles were in prison;
what a grace for us today 
their many letters 
still sound 
so true and relevant,
providing us compass
in charting our ways
in a world so divided
and so sick with
individualism, relativism,
and materialism. 

Help us, dear Jesus,
to break free from
the many prisons
that hold us from freely 
witnessing your loving service 
for others like Sts. Peter
and Paul; set us free, Lord, 
from the chains that hold us
and make us fearful
of standing by our faith 
and of your teachings
in this time of total disrespect
for life; most of all, free us, O Lord,
like St. Peter from our prison cells
of indifference in the face of 
continued erosion of 
marriage and family 
as envisioned by God
since creation.
Dear Jesus, 
make us realize
that every present moment
is the time of our departure;
may we live fully at your service
by keeping the faith in you
like Sts. Peter and Paul.
Amen.

Our parish, our priests

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Tenth Week of Ordinary Time, Year I, 14 June 2023
2 Corinthians 3:4-11   ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*> + ><}}}}*>   Matthew 5:17-19
Photo by Dra. Mylene A. Santos, MD, 2020.
Lord Jesus Christ,
as we approach the Solemnity
of your Most Sacred Heart,
we pray today for your flock
and their shepherds,
we your priests.

How lovely if we 
your priests could only
speak boldly like St. Paul about
our ministry, our priesthood
in you made manifest in our 
own sufferings and sacrifices,
in our efforts to reach out to everyone,
especially the weak and the sick,
the marginalized and forgotten,
in our being one with you in your
Cross, Lord Jesus.

Brothers and sisters: Such confidence we have through Christ toward God. Not that of ourselves are qualified to take credit for anything as coming from us; rather, our qualification comes from God, who has indeed qualified us as ministers of a new covenant, not of letter but of spirit; for the letter brings death, but the Spirit gives life.

2 Corinthians 3:4-6
Keep us, your priests, 
faithful to your new covenant,
Jesus; let us bring fulfillment
to the many laws we have
by being a leaven for your people
to grow in faith, hope, and love;
set us free from the chains
of legalisms and rubrics
that forget you in every person.

Most of all, let us not forget
to lovingly serve your flock,
your people, O Lord;
may we always be present with
them especially in moments of 
their trials and weaknesses,
when they are seeking directions,
when they are lost and could not
find you.

May they be transformed into your
image, Lord Jesus Christ,
so that like St. Paul we may also
tell our parishioners,
"You are our letter, 
written on our hearts,
known and read by all" (2 Cor. 3:2)
when the works we have done as
your minister, Lord, 
speak for itself.
Amen.

Dwelling in Jesus

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Feast of Sts. Philip & James the Less, Apostles, 03 May 2023
1 Corinthians 15:1-8   ><))))"> + ><))))"> + ><))))">   John 14:6-14
Photo by author, sunrise at Katmon Nature Sanctuary & Beach Resort, Infanta, Quezon, 04 March 2023.
Thank you, dearest Lord Jesus Christ
for the gift of two Apostles whose
feast we celebrate today,
St. Philip and St. James the Less;
thank you in giving us examples
to personally be near you,
to be one with you 
and to be one in you.
How lovely it is to recall
when Philip along with Andrew 
approached and asked you 
where you stayed and you told them
to "come and see"; what they saw
and experienced must be so wonderful
that Philip was so convinced in
calling Nathanael to come and see you
whom he had recognized as the Messiah.

In being your apostles,
Philip and James remind us 
of the need to be close 
and familiar with you to
discover your true identity,
to enter into a personal contact
with you by listening, responding
and communing in you Jesus daily,
of the need to dwell in you always.

During your last supper,
you expressed clearly how
the word "dwelling" means -
intimacy and oneness in the Father
in you and with one another also
in you, dear Jesus. 
Your cousin James who eventually
became the bishop of Jerusalem
practiced this meaning of dwelling
in you by working to resolve the
the tensions among the Jewish 
and Hellenist converts to
Christianity; how beautiful that
the early Church lived in 
harmony with each other,
rooted in you, Jesus, 
our home,
our dwelling.
Amen.

Praying for those persecuted

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday in the Thirty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time, Red Wednesday, 23 November 2022
Revelation 15:1-4    ><000'> + ><000'> + ><000'>  Luke 21:12-19
Today, O Lord Jesus Christ,
we join your whole Church in 
observing "Red Wednesday"
to voice our concern
and make our stand against
the persecution of Christians
and all faiths globally that sadly
remain unnoticed.
According to the 
Pew Research Centre,
"Christians suffer persecution -
from harassment to murder -
in more countries than any other
faith group.  What a disturbing fact
that too often we thought have ended
many centuries ago!
You have warned us about this persecution
a long time ago while still here on earth;
it had never stopped but simply persisted
maybe partly because many of us have chosen
to be silent and deaf to its realities especially
where Christians are a minority.

Jesus said to the crowd: “They will seize and persecute you, they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons, and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name. It will lead to your giving testimony. By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”

Luke 21:12-13, 19
No action,
no contribution,
no prayer
is too small for each of us
to make a difference this year
in supporting our persecuted 
brothers and sisters
and most of all, 
in putting an end to this kind of hatred
and violence simply because
of faith and belief in you our God!
We pray that one day.
we will finally sing face to face
with you Lord Jesus Christ in heaven
the hymn of praise and adoration
John saw in his vision those
"who had won the victory over the beast";
enable us to make the right choices 
like them on this Red Wednesday to
both pray and act 
for the suffering members of
your Body, the Church.
Amen.

Tasting Jesus Christ

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Memorial of the Dedication of the Basilicas of Sts. Peter and Paul, Apostles, 18 November 2022
Revelation 10:8-11   ><000'> + ><000'> + ><000'>   Luke 19:45-48
Lord Jesus Christ,
as we celebrate today the
memorial of the Dedication of the
last two Basilicas in Rome -
St. Peter's in Vatican and 
St. Paul's Outside the Walls -
you give us a "taste" 
of what is to be your Church,
your Body,
and your accompanying mission.

I took the small scroll from the angel’s hand and swallowed it. In my mouth it was like sweet honey, but when I had eaten it, my stomach turned sour. Then someone said to me, “You must prophecy again about many peoples, nations, tongues, and kings.”

Revelation 10:10-11
Thank you, Lord Jesus Christ,
for the sweet taste, 
for the sensation of being a Christian,
of listening to your words,
of being a Catholic,
of serving you,
of worshipping you,
of being loved by you.
Definitely so sweet indeed
to experience you in the Church!
But everything becomes sour
and bitter when we internalize
your words,
your call,
your mission
for that is when reality happens,
when we realize being your disciple
is a way of life in you,
a way of the Cross,
of giving one's self
to others like
the two pillars of your Church,
St. Peter and St. Paul.
Sometimes, Lord Jesus,
give us a taste of your anger
like when you cleansed the temple; 
let us taste your strong words
when we make the church a den of thieves
literally speaking;
let us have a taste of your discipline
when we dirty your Body,
when we hurt your Body,
and worst, 
when we mutilate your Body,
the Church with our lives so far from
your calling and mission
especially us your apostles.
Let us learn to love and accept
being Christian is savoring both
the sweet and sour tastes of
proclaiming your gospel 
both in words and in deeds.
Amen.

*Photos from en.wikipedia.org.

Grateful for the gift of Church

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Wednesday, Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica in Rome, 09 November 2022
Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12 ><}}}*> 1 Corinthians 3:9-11, 16-17 ><}}}*> John 2:13-22
Photo of the Lateran Basilica by Fr. Gerry Pascual.
On this feast of the Dedication 
of the Lateran Basilica in Rome
which is "the mother and mistress
of all churches in Rome and the world"
being the Pope's church as Bishop of Rome,
we praise and thank you O God
for the gift of the Church. 
So often, we rarely think of the
Church as your gift, dear God;
sadly, many times we hurt the Church
not only with our attacks that defame
the Body of Christ here on earth
but most especially when we your
priests cause it to bleed with so many
wounds following our sins of
infidelities.
Help us realize this holy giftedness
of the Church as a means for us
to be closer to you, O God,
for us to be saved in Christ,
for us to be blessed and made holy
as your people finally gathered
as one in your Most Holy Name; 
most of all, in giving life
and sustaining life abundantly in Christ.

The angel brought me back to the entrance of the temple, and I saw water flowing out from beneath the threshold of the temple toward the east, for the facade of the temple was toward the east; the water flowed down from the southern side of the temple, south of the altar. He said to me, “Wherever the river flows, every sort of living creature that can multiply shall live, and there shall be abundant fish, for wherever this water comes the sea shall be made fresh. Along both baqnk of the river, fruit trees of every kind shall grow; their leaves shall ot fade, nor their fruit fail. Every month they shall bear fresh fruit, for they shall be watered by the flow from the sanctuary. Their fruit shall serve for food, and their leaves for medicine.”

Ezekiel 47:1, 9, 12
Since Jesus had ascended into heaven,
his Church has always been his sign of unity,
of communion that has continued to exist to this day
despite so many efforts by many men and women
to destroy it both from within and from outside;
all these years, the Church has remained like that
beautiful vision by Prophet Ezekiel from
which all life springs forth.
Cleanse us, dear Jesus,
whip us with your cords,
overturn our various tables of
comforts and new thoughts
especially our attachment with 
the ways of the world
so that we may truly be called
"the Father's house" (Jn.2:15-16).
Most dear Jesus,
let us stop hurting your Church,
let us stop lording over your Church,
let us stop desecrating your Church
as we keep in mind and heart
that it is you, O Lord,
who is the true foundation
of this Church
that begins right in our hearts.
Amen.
Photo of the Cathedra of the Lateran Basilica by Fr. Gerry Pascual.

Called to build, not destroy

The Lord Is My Chef Daily Recipe for the Soul by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II
Friday, Feast of Sts. Simon & Jude, Apostles, 28 October 2022
Ephesians 2:19-22   ><))))*> + ><))))*> + ><))))*>   Luke 6:12-16
It has always been your desire,
O God our Father that we may
all be one in you that was fulfilled
in Jesus Christ your Son who
had come to call and gather 
first his Twelve Apostles 
who prefigured the Church
representing all the peoples 
of the world.

Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone. Through him the whole structure is held together and grows into a temple sacred in the Lord; in him you are also being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

Ephesians 2:19-22
What a beautiful way to cap
this week with these words 
reminding us of our great honor 
in being called in Jesus Christ
to build up his body the Church 
here on earth,
of being a part of the bigger
whole of peoples gathered 
as one in God;
may we realize that you call
everyone - regardless of color
or gender or status or whatever
differences we may all have
just like the Twelve who 
were united in Christ.
Help us, dear Jesus,
to imitate your two Apostles,
Sts. Simon and Jude whose feast
we celebrate today; fill our hearts
with the zeal and ardent love
for you and your Church
like Simon called the Zealot -
whether he was in fact a member
of such political party or not, 
his love for you must be so evident
that he came to be known as a Zealot;
in this time when Catholics are declining
in numbers in going to church
and even in professing their faith, 
may we be filled wit enthusiasm in
making you known O Jesus especially
in our actions and celebrations.
Grant us also the strength,
clarity and courage like that of
St. Jude Thaddeus in dealing with
the many contradictions of the world
we live in today as Catholics and 
Christians:  "But you, beloved, 
build yourselves up on your 
most holy faith; pray in the Holy Spirit;
keep yourselves in the love of God;
wait for the mercy of our Lord Jesus
Christ unto eternal life.
And convince some,
who doubt..." (Jude 20-22).

Bless us, dearest Jesus,
through the help St. Simon and
St. Jude, to rediscover
the beauty of our Christian
faith and of our Catholic Church
by working hard to build it up
without tiring through our silent 
and peaceful witnessing
of the Gospel.
Amen.

Poverty in priesthood

Quiet Storm by Fr. Nicanor F. Lalog II, 01 September 2022
Photo by author, Dominus Flevit Church overlooking Old Jerusalem, 2017.

Along with the vow of celibacy, the vow of poverty has become very contentious even among us priests these days which is very sad that one wonders why they got ordained in the first place if they were not totally sold out to being celibate and poor.

For most people especially Filipinos, how their priests practice poverty weighs more than their fidelity to celibacy, claiming they could understand and forgive priests getting into relationships with women than priests becoming “mukhang pera” (money-faced). For them, a priest falling in love with a woman is natural and therefore, understandable and “forgiveable”; but, a priest who worships money to the point of making his ministry a business endeavor even stealing from the church funds and donation boxes is what people detest most. In some parts of Bulacan and Cavite, they have a saying which is so vulgar to stress this point, “hindi bale madapa and pari sa puki kesa sa piso” (better for a priest to fall on a vagina than peso).

Photo by Ka Ruben, 24 June 2022.

Of course, it is always wrong to break any of these two important vows priests have made along with the third one which is obedience to his bishop because celibacy and poverty are closely related with each other for they both lead us priests to intimacy with God, our Caller. That is why, most often, when a priest has become “mukhang pera”, falling into the trap of money and luxuries, most likely he also has problems with celibacy. Even St. Ignatius had warned in his Spiritual Exercises that money is the first temptation the devil uses against every priest.

Like celibacy, poverty is a spiritual reality that is lived and felt by everyone in the material sense. More than being poor or having less in life, poverty is a choice we make for it to be real.  It is our attitude with material things in life: there are priests with so much and yet still feel poor like in advanced countries where cars and appliances are very common and ordinary while there are those with almost nothing and yet so attached with the little they have or wish to have and possess! One priest may have a brand-new car extensively using it to reach and serve his parishioners while another may have a second-hand car or owner-type jeep he tinkers daily, possessing him in the process. 

In our previous blog, we have mentioned that people should rejoice when their priest gives away their gifts because that means Father is not selfish, acting as the vessel or conduit of God’s graces and blessings to the poor and needy (https://lordmychef.com/2022/08/08/prayerful-requests-of-a-priest-to-parishioners/). 

Photo from inquirer.net, 2021.

Poverty is not a question of how much do we have but more of the question of how much do we share. See that very often, we are preoccupied thinking what we already and must still have without ever thinking how much do we share.

It is in sharing when we truly experience poverty; a priest who hoards everything – even people like benefactors and friends – is a priest in trouble. Here we find the direct relationship of poverty and celibacy: we renounce marriage which is a wonderful kind of wealth in the spiritual sense for something higher and better which is to be solely for Jesus Christ. That is the essence of our poverty, our being poor and empty so that we are wholly for Christ alone and his Church. It is being poor, materially and spiritually do we find our true wealth as priests, Jesus Christ and his Church or “people of God” as Vatican II rightly called.

Like everyone else, no priest can have everything in life; nobody is perfect but it is always the truth that we evade, priests and lay alike. Many people including priests often convince themselves of being self-sufficient, that we are the greatest, the most powerful so that we never ran out of construction projects in the church.  This is the mentality of the “dream-teams” or the “powerhouses” who claim to have everything and yet in reality, they rarely last long nor achieve much.  When everybody feels like a “heavyweight” – literally and figuratively speaking, always throwing their weight around, soon enough, he/she would surely sink. The Greeks call it hubris, another common ailment among us priests.

Photo by author, Capernaum, Israel, May 2017.

In my 24 years in the ministry, I have found and experienced that the key in any community and organization including family, profession and vocation like the priesthood is not in having everything, materially and non-materially speaking like talents and abilities that always end up into a mere show, a “palabas” even if it may be spectacular.  Life is not about dazzling others with our gifts and abilities but finding our limits and poverty. When we focus on what we do not have like our weaknesses and other limitations, our poverty becomes a wealth because that is when we are most creative and productive, achieving more in life.  Why is it when we do not have much on the table that there is always a leftover with everyone feeling satisfied? But when there is a plethora of food, we just feel satiated, filled up but not satisfied? 

Look at how many of our churches have become like birthday cakes that are so kitschy or baduy, tastelessly overdecorated looking like dirty old men (DOMs) and their counterparts, the matronix afflicted with hepatitis with all their gold trimmings. Many parishes are afflicted with a different virus more contagious than COVID without a vaccine where priests go “imeldific” in church decorations and renovations including liturgies that even the Blessed Virgin Mary is turned into a Miss Universe being “crowned” amid all pomp and pageantry. It is the virus of triumphalism with its ugly face of priests have too much of everything except God. The best priest, the holiest priest is often the poorest one, the one with less because that is when we have more of God. It is in poverty – and celibacy – we priests witness Christ’s lesson that “whoever saves his life loses it and whoever loses his life gains it” (Mk. 8:37-38). 

The problem of the priesthood for me is among other things a problem of poverty. I know that not all priests are necessarily committed, by their priesthood, to absolute poverty. But for my own part it seems to me that the two are connected.

To be a priest means, at least in my particular case, to have nothing, desire nothing, and be nothing but to belong to Christ. Mihi vivere Christus est et mori lucrum. In order to have everything, desire to have nothing.

Thomas Merton, The Sign of Jonas, page 191.
Photo by Fr. Howard Tarrayo, August 2021.

Poverty is blessedness because in our weak and fragile humanity, God chose to be one with us so that we can share in his divinity and thereby share in his life.  When we see each other’s wealth, the more we feel so poor and helpless; but when we see each other’s poverty, the more we see each one’s value. And we start enriching each one’s life.  This is the beauty of our poverty as priests when being poor is not to be destitute but be available to God and everyone. No wonder, poverty is the first of all beatitudes taught by Christ, “Blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the kingdom of God” (Mt. 5:3).

When we try to have less and become poor, that is when we discover the value of life, of every person created in the image and likeness of God. Then, we begin to share and give, to sacrifice and let go, truly loving one another by being forgiving and merciful and kind like Jesus Christ, “who, though he is God, he did not deem equality with God something to be grasped at but rather emptied himself by being born in the likeness of men” (Phil.2:6-7).

Again, help us your priests live simple lives, to be poor so it would not be difficult for you to support us too. Thank you and God bless!