Alcoholics Anonymous

               The Vatican II Weekday Missal has in its Meditation For Spiritual Growth the “Twelve Steps of Alcoholics Anonymous”.   It is stated therein that these twelve steps have helped millions to put into order a shattered life.   One of the steps has struck me and has deepened my understanding of the significance of prayer.  It reads as follows:

“We sought through prayer and meditation

 to improve our conscious contact with God

 as we understood Him,

 praying only for knowledge of His will for us

 and the power to carry that out.”

The words that struck me most is:

 “CONSCIOUS CONTACT WITH GOD”

Reflecting on how I have been praying in the past, it seemed that most often I had just taken for granted the Presence of God.  Yes, I was indeed talking to God but He seemed to be far beyond my reach.  He seemed to be in a distant place overlooking at what I was doing but without a real, so to say, ‘eye to eye’ contact with Him.

It dawned on me then that through prayer I should strive as much as possible to be conscious of God’s loving presence in me and be in touch with His Spirit dwelling in me.  This requires full concentration that is focused on God’s Almighty Being in the light of my own understanding on Who He is.   To my mind, purely human efforts would be inadequate to achieve this. To have a “conscious contact” with God, I have to humbly acknowledge my need for Divine Assistance.   

This divine assistance, I believe, will be granted by God to me and to anyone who sincerely desires to have this gift of having a conscious contact with Him.  Coupled with this desire should be a habitual practice of keeping still at certain moments of the day, for in Psalm 46:10, God says: “Be still and know that I am God.”

            Now, every time I have my daily “Quiet Time”, I  strive to put a stop to what I am doing  and in silence allow divine grace to imbue me with   the gift of having a “CONSCIOUS CONTACT WITH GOD”.

By: Buddy Cagurangan

July 22, 2012

Rejoice-Praise-Thank

“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing.

 In everything give thanks,

for this is God’s Will for you in Christ Jesus.”

 (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18)

            It is my conviction that God created me to do His Will.  Hence, I have been asking God now and then: “Lord God, what is it that You want me to do?”  During my ‘Quiet Time’ I got the answer as I read St. Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians, which I quoted above.

            The answer, I may say, is a THREEFOLD ACTION, namely:

1.To REJOICE ALWAYS,

2.TO PRAY WITHOUT CEASING, and

3.TO GIVE THANKS IN EVERYTHING.

These three challenges require from me  a “Frame of Mind” that would constantly monitor my daily behavior.  I have to ask myself now and then these three questions:

1.    Am I rejoicing always?

Sometimes I find it hard to rejoice because of something that hurts me, either due to my own human frailties, physical ailments, or  injuries inflicted by others.  To rejoice amidst these sufferings requires a firm faith in the benevolence of God; for it is said that “God causes all things to work together for good to those who love Him”.(Rom. 8:28)

2.    Am I praying without ceasing?

I believe that praying is like having a hotline with God.  As much as  possible I try to have a conscious contact with God by repeating frequently in moments of silence: “My Lord,  MY God, My All!”

3.    Am I giving thanks in everything?

This again requires a firm faith in God’s infinite wisdom and almighty power.  Everything in this world  is in the hands of God and so, no matter what happens, He is in control and He knows what is best for everyone.

            For me, the three abovementioned questions serve as basic guidelines in living a Life in accordance with the Will of God.   Since DOING THE WILL OF GOD is the REASON for my existence, I trust that by sincerely striving to REJOICE ALWAYS, PRAY WITHOUT CEASING and GIVING THANKS IN EVERYTHING, I shall have lived a life that is PLEASING TO GOD.  I shall then REST IN PEACE for having done what God wants me to do as His creature.

By: Buddy Cagurangan

July 15, 2012 

Fear and Faith

       “FEAR AND FAITH HAVE OPPOSITE EFFECTS ON US.”  This is a statement from “ANAWIM WAY” a booklet for liturgical meditations. The Gospel of Mark (5:21-43),  narrates the story of the daughter of Jairus, a synagogue official.  Jairus was informed that his daughter was already dead.  So there was no more need to bother Jesus.  But Jesus said to Jairus: “Do not be afraid, just have faith.”  Jesus then took the girl’s hand and said: “Talitha, koum”, which means “Little girl, get up”.  The girl immediately stood up and walked.

           The meditation further clarifies: “When we give in to fear, we draw away from God, which leads us to loss of hope.  When we make acts of faith, even if they are as small as a mustard seed, we draw close to God – we touch him, and he gives us new life.”  From these reflections, I recall an experience wherein I have to make a decision with an act of faith.  I had a commitment to go to a parish of Sta. Ana, Cagayan, to give a catechetical training to some public school teachers.  Our Catechetical Director, then Rev. Fr. Ricardo Baccay, told me that I should hire a driver because the distance was quite far and the road was rough.  I, therefore, sought the services of a driver.  But when the time came for us to leave, the driver was not on hand and he did not give any word on whether he would come or not.  Hence, I had to make a decision on whether to proceed or not.  While I was then praying for guidance a song kept ringing in my ears: “Be not afraid, I go before you always, come follow me.”   I considered this as a sign that I should proceed.  So, I decided to drive the vehicle myself.  Praise the Lord, I and two other catechists reached the destination safe and sound.

            From that experience I am convinced  that when we act in faith, focus on God and put our trust in Him Who is almighty and our Father, fear is driven away. On the other hand, fear sets in when we focus on ourselves, in our incapacity or helplessness. 

       In our day to day life  there is wisdom, indeed, in LIVING IN FAITH, focusing on GOD, OUR FATHER, rather than focusing on our incapacities or helplessness.  God knows whatever we are in need of and if we put our trust in him, he will certainly provide in a way that is best for us.

By: Buddy Cagurangan

July 8, 2012

To Fall In Love With God

         “ALL ARE COMMANDED TO LOVE GOD, BUT TO FALL IN LOVE WITH GOD IS SOMETHING ELSE.”  This is a statement from Rev. Fr. Horacio de la Costa, SJ, in one of his homilies that were published by Mr. Roberto M. Paterno.

       For quite some time I have been pondering on the difference between ‘LOVING GOD’ and ‘FALLING IN LOVE WITH GOD’.  Father de la Costa says that to love God is a command, but to fall in love with God is an invitation.  He gave as an example the story of the rich young man whom Christ invited to follow Him as narrated in Luke 18:18-25.  The young man was, indeed, obeying all the commandments.  But when he was asked to leave everything he possessed and follow Christ, he turned and walked away.   Father de la Costa says that Christ wasn’t angry, but He was sorry that one to whom He had given His divine Heart could not find it in his own heart to love Him in return. 

      The homily of Father de la Costa was actually on the subject of VOCATION.  He says that a vocation is an INVITATION not  a COMMAND.  The Lord forces no one to accept His invitation.  But accepting His invitation would mean ‘FALLING IN LOVE WITH HIM’. 

       Father de la Costa dealt with the Vocation to the Priesthood.  He elaborated on what one has to forego and the hardships he has to endure to heed the call to the priesthood.  That despite all many sacrifices, a priest is still full of joy because he has fallen in love with Christ.

            We  have been used to consider the Priesthood as the most sublime of all vocations.  This is based on perceptions of the great sacrifices one has to undergo as a priest.  In recent years, however, there is a growing consensus that one vocation is as good as another.  The difference lies on how well one lives his vocation.  In other words, spiritual writers say: “Bloom where you are planted.”  Whatever may be the particular calling or vocation of anyone; be it in the religious life, in priesthood, in married life, or in single blessedness, what matters is ‘with how much love’ one has performed  the duties and responsibilities that have been imposed on him.

 Hence, falling in love with God means surrendering oneself entirely to the Will of God, so that in whatever way God calls, one responds to His call with all the love that he can give.  In other words, it is following Christ’s example when He said: “LORD, NOT MY WILL, BUT YOUR WILL BE DONE.”

By: Buddy Cagurangan

July 1, 2012

Our Divine Calling

         “HOW DO WE PEOPLE ANSWER THIS – OUR DIVINE CALLING?”   This is a question posed by Blessed John Paul II in his homily on June 24, 1988.  Today, June 24, 2012, as we celebrate the Solemnity of the Birth of John the Baptist, I wish to ponder on the same question.

            First of all, what is our Divine Calling?

 Blessed John Paul II answers this with the following words:  “God called John the Baptist while he was still ‘in his mother’s womb’ to be the “voice that cries in the desert” and thus to prepare the way for his Son.  Similarly, God has “laid his hand” on each one of us.  To each of us goes a special call; to each person a particular task.  In every call, which we can experience in a variety of ways, the same voice of God is present which spoke through John: “Prepare the way of the Lord” (Mt. 3:3).  Every person should ask what he, in his vocation, in his position, can do to help bring about the Lord’s entrance into the world.  Whenever we are open to God’s call, we become, like John, God’s precursor among men.”

            What is man’s being that deserves this Divine Calling?

 Blessed John Paul II again answers this as follows:  “Man is that being which God calls by name.  For God he is the created “you”.  He is, among all creation, that personal “I” who can turn to God and also call him by name.  God wants to have in man that partner who turns to Him, the divine “You”, acknowledging Him as His creator and Father, and saying, “You, my Lord and my God”.

           Further he says: “Man is therefore conscious of himself – what he is, and what he was from the beginning, from conception.  He knows he is a being whom God wants to encounter and with whom God wishes to enter into dialogue.  God wishes to encounter in man the whole of creation.  For God, man is “somebody” unique and unrepeatable.  He is, in the words of the Second Vatican Council, “the only creature on earth which God willed for itself”(GS n.24).

            What  is man’s response to this Divine Calling?

For those who have a living relationship with God,  there grows an awareness of the uniqueness and value of one’s life and personal dignity.  Blessed John Paul II says: “Amid his concrete life situations, man knows he is called, sustained, and spurred on by God.  In spite of prevailing injustices and personal suffering, he realizes that life is a gift.  He is grateful for it and feels responsible to God for it.  Thus God becomes the source of power and trust from which the person is able to shape a life of human dignity and selfless service to others.”

         For those, however, who abuse the Gift of Freedom, instead of heeding the call, they distance themselves from God and become self-centered.  Without  this connection to his root, which is God, man becomes impoverished of inner worth and gradually succumbs  to an attitude of loss of respect for life and to the catastrophe of self-destruction.

        May all respond positively to this Divine Calling.

By: Buddy Cagurangan

June 24, 2012                                                     

Prayer - the Antidote to Worry

“PRAYER IS THE ANTIDOTE TO WORRY.”   This is what a Meditation in the ANAWIM WAY Booklet says reflecting on the words of Jesus Christ: “Do not worry about your livelihood, what you are to eat or drink or use for clothing.  Is life not more than food?  Is not the body more valuable than clothes?  Look at the birds in the sky. They do not sow nor reap, they gather nothing into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them.  Are not you more important then they?  (Mt 6: 25-26)

To worry about the necessities of life here on earth seems to be a natural human reaction.   It is a fact that one of the main responsibilities of a family man is to provide for the material needs of his family.  Hence, he works for a living.  When he is out of job, he worries on how he could manage to meet his responsibilities.  How then can we reconcile this observation with the words of Jesus Christ?

I now recall a personal experience wherein prayer was the antidote to my worry.  When Martial Law was declared in 1972, the head of the school where I was employed as Dean of the College of Business Administration told us that our contract was now terminated and we were given our last pay check.  That pay check was just enough to provide for a one month existence of a family of ten.  Hence, I was confronted with the problem of how I could provide for our needs in the months thereafter.  It was then that I really prayed and begged for God’s help.  Unexpectedly, the President of Divine Word College of Laoag, Rev. Fr. Ambrosio Manaligod,SVD, came to see me at our residence in San Fernando, La Union and offered the position of Dean of the College of Business Administration in the Divine Word College of Laoag.  Aside from my monthly remuneration, he added some fringe benefits, like free housing facilities and free school fees for my eight children.  God, indeed, answered my prayer.

The ANAWIM WAY Booklet further states that when we pray “ with a firm inner decision to accept the Will of God, we grow in trust that God, Our Father, already knows all that we need and somehow He will take care of us.”

In the abovementioned Gospel of St. Matthew, our Lord Jesus Christ also says: “Seek first his kingship over you, his way of holiness, and all these things will be given you besides.  Enough, then, of worrying about tomorrow.  Let tomorrow take care of itself.  Today has troubles enough of its own.” (Mt. 6:33-34)

For me, these words of our Lord Jesus Christ affirm my strong conviction that God is Our Father. If, in all sincerity, we put ourselves  at His disposal,  do whatever He wants us to do wholeheartedly,  then,  we have nothing to worry about. God will surely provide.

By: Buddy Cagurangan

June 17, 2012

How To Be Perfect

“YOU MUST BE PERFECT AS YOUR HEAVENLY FATHER IS PERFECT.” (Mt.5:48).  This is the challenge of our Lord Jesus Christ when He spoke to the multitudes in His Sermon on the Mount – The Beatitudes.

        For quite a time I have been asking myself: “How can I be perfect as God Himself? “  It seems it is an impossibility.   To my mind, a man, like myself,  cannot become like God.              However, in my reflections on the Meditations of the ANAWIM WAY Booklet it dawned on me that the challenge to be perfect is synonymous to the challenge to forgive.  Jesus Christ gave that challenge after saying that one should love everyone, even our enemies.  And the first step to love our enemies is to forgive them.

        

        The ANAWIM WAY says that “Forgiveness is an Act of the Will”.  It is a decision that has to be made.  Hence, even if we feel unable to forgive, we can still decide to forgive  and  beg the Lord for the grace to be able to forgive.

     

      God is Love.  His love is perfect, because He loves everyone unconditionally, even those who sin against Him.  He offers to everyone the grace of repentance to enable one to respond to His love by using the gift of freedom.      Hence, to be perfect like God means to love everyone unconditionally, even those who hurt us.

To love is an Act of the Will.  It is a decision, regardless of how we feel.  This is the challenge.  Most often we act according to how we feel.  It takes a lot of courage to disregard our feelings and make decisions according to what we believe is in accordance with God’s Will.   This is where the power of prayer comes in, because when we pray we open ourselves to the Will of God,  so that His Kingdom will come and He may reign in us. 

          The challenge to be perfect, therefore, can be achieved through the power of prayer.  When one humbly prays and begs God for all the graces he needs in order to become like His Son, Jesus Christ,  I do believe that his prayer shall be granted.

By: Buddy Cagurangan

June 10, 2012

            

LOVE IS TOTAL

          “LOVE IS TOTAL”.  This is a statement from the ANAWIM WAY Booklet in  its meditation on the Commandment of Love which our Lord Jesus Christ said in reply to a question of a scribe as to ‘which is the first of all the commandments’.   Jesus replied: “This is the first: ‘Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is Lord alone!  Therefore you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’  This is the second. ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’  There is no other commandment greater than these.”

          Elaborating further on the said statement it says: “If we deliberately exclude anyone from it, even our enemy, it is not love anymore.  We are unfaithful to ourselves when we refuse to love someone.”

            The said statement made me examine my  own conscience.  Do I really love everyone, even my own enemy, or those who have hurt me in one way or another?  I must acknowledge that I still harbor some hurt feelings from those who have done something to me which I consider  wrong or unjust.  I am still waiting for a kind of apology from these people.  It seems, however, that I shall be waiting in vain.  So, the question for me now is:  How can I love these people who have been unjust to me?

            It is said: “To err is human, but to forgive is divine.”  This means that the act of forgiving is a GRACE coming from God alone.  Man by himself is not able to forgive.  He needs a special grace from God to enable him to forgive.  Hence,  if I sincerely desire to be faithful to myself in loving everyone, even my enemies,  I must pray for this special grace of forgiveness from God.

            Now, therefore, I am confronted with this challenge:  When and how will I pray for this special grace of forgiveness,  such that all the hurt feelings in my heart would be removed and my love would be really total to include everyone, even my enemies?

            I realize that even the act of praying is a grace from God.  Hence, I must accept my inability to do anything without the enabling grace of God.  I am now aware that without God I am nothing and without God I can do nothing.  Everything depends on God.  This realization is helping me  to bend my knees and beg for all the graces I need in order to live as God wants me to live and to love as God wants me to love.  I trust that God in His infinite Goodness and Love will answer my prayer in ways that will be  best for me -  To love even those who have wronged me.

by: Buddy Cagurangan

June 3, 2012

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

          Today, May 27, 2012, is the Feast of PENTECOST.  It is a celebration of the DESCENT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT upon the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Apostles, 50 days after the Resurrection of Christ.

            During my meditation I dwelt on the Gifts of the Holy Spirit.  I would like to share my reflections on these Gifts, which I consider significant in solving problems:

1.    Gift of WISDOM:  Helps us to answer the question: WHY?, or the root cause of the problem. 

2.    Gift of UNDERSTANDING: Helps us to see the problem in its context or from all aspects. 

3.    Gift of COUNSEL:  Helps us to be open to suggestions or advise from others. 

4.    Gift of KNOWLEDGE: Helps us to know how to solve the problem in the best way possible. 

5.    Gift of FORTITUDE: Helps us to carry out the solution despite all difficulties or obstacles. 

6.    Gift of PIETY:  Helps us to consider the Will of God in solving the problem and to give Him all the glory. 

7.    Gift of the FEAR OF GOD:  Helps us to be aware that we are accountable to God  for whatever we shall do in solving the problem.

These seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit are, indeed, of great help in the solution of problems.  As our Lord JESUS CHRIST said:  “The Holy Spirit, whom my Father will send in My Name will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.” (John 14:26)

            Hence, in solving any problem, I experienced that it is of prime importance to begin by invoking the HOLY SPIRIT and asking for His help, particularly HIS SEVEN GIFTS.

by: Buddy Cagurangan

May 27, 2012

THE REALITY OF LIFE

         “LIFE IS FOR ITSELF AND NOT FOR A SPECTACLE.”  This is a statement of Immanuel Kant, a great German philosopher, in one of his books.  Time and again I have reflected on what this statement really means.  Today, May 22, 2012,  I pondered on a sentence in a Meditation published by THE ANAWIM WAY booklet for the Easter Season, which reads: “Those who live for fame find life unsatisfying, while those who live for God and for others can be content even in a very simple and unknown style of life.”

            I was then serving as a Commentator in a Eucharistic Celebration at the St. Peter’s Metropolitan Cathedral  when these questions came to my mind:  “Am I doing this in order to be seen and heard and thus be praised?  Am I doing a mere drama or having a personal encounter with God whose presence in the Mass is a reality?  Deep in my thoughts I then realized the wisdom of Kant’s statement – that, indeed, what I was doing was a reality – an action of life which in itself has a value in the eyes of God though perhaps not in the eyes of men.  It dawned on me that my life is, indeed, a Gift of God, which  I should use not to glorify myself  but to do whatever I should do under the particular circumstances of my life in accordance with God’s Will.

            In God’s infinite wisdom and almighty power I do believe that I have been created as a unique human being.  No one else in this world can be exactly like me, and no one else can take my place at this point in time where I am and with whom  I am.  Hence, I am solely accountable to whatever I do now with the gift of life that God has given me.  It is a gift to be spent for what really matters in God’s eternal design and not just for a spectacle for others to see or hear.

            The question “What am I living for?” helped me to find a meaning in whatever I may  do with the gift of life that God has bestowed on me, because the  answer I got is in the  Song: “What am I living for, if not for You?  What am I living for, if not for You? JESUS, JESUS, no one else but YOU!  From then on the melody of this song with its lyrics kept ringing in my ears as I  walk along the street leading to the Cathedral.  I consider it now as the over-all goal of whatever I do, be it small or great in the eyes of men.  CHRIST now becomes for me the REASON for my existence.  Quoting  St. Paul: “FOR TO ME, TO LIVE IS CHRIST”. (Phil.1:21).  It is my conviction that Christ became Man, so that man can become like Him, a Son of God.  Hence, everything I do should be in accordance with what Christ wants, so I could become ANOTHER CHRIST like HIM.

by: Buddy Cagurangan

May 20, 2012