EASTER LILY

[Photo: Taken at the Cistercian monastery in Guimaras]

The Easter Lily. For many, the beautiful trumpet-shaped white flowers symbolize purity, virtue, innocence, hope and life—the spiritual essence of Easter.

History, mythology, literature, poetry and the world of art are rife with stories and images that speak of the beauty and majesty of the elegant white flowers. Often called the “white-robed apostles of hope,” lilies were found growing in the Garden of Gethsemane after Christ’s agony. Tradition has it that the beautiful white lilies sprung up where drops of Christ’s sweat fell to the ground in his final hours of sorrow and deep distress. Churches continue this tradition at Easter time by banking their altars and surrounding their crosses with masses of Easter Lilies, to commemorate the resurrection of Jesus Christ and hope of life everlasting.

A mark of purity and grace throughout the ages, the regal white lily is a fitting symbol of the greater meaning of Easter. Gracing millions of homes and churches, the flowers embody joy, hope and life. Whether given as a gift or enjoyed in your own home, the Easter Lily, along with other Easter blooms, serves as a beautiful reminder that Easter is a time for rejoicing and celebrating.

The following poem by Louise Lewin Matthews captures the spiritual essence of the Easter Lily:

Easter morn with lilies fair

Fills the church with perfumes rare,

As their clouds of incense rise,

Sweetest offerings to the skies.

Stately lilies pure and white

Flooding darkness with their light,

Bloom and sorrow drifts away,

On this holy hallow’d day.

Easter Lilies bending low

in the golden afterglow,

Bear a message from the sod

To the heavenly towers of God.

-Louise Lewin Matthews

Taken from http://www.appleseeds.org/easter-lily.htm

BECOMING PRAY-ERS

[Photo: Taken at Don Bosco Batulao]

I think I was doing my annual spiritual retreat when I took a liking at this “sculpture” (I don’t know how you would call it.). It reminded me about what I should be during the retreat. I should become a pray-er. (I came across this word for the first time in a book written by Fr. Thomas Green, SJ.)

Obviously a pray-er refers to a person who is doing the activity of praying just as a player is one who is playing. But a pray-er does a whole lot more than carrying out an activity called praying.

I think that a pray-er is one who has taken prayer as one of his life’s major preoccupation. It’s like an “occupation” or better yet, a “profession”. Think of a lawyer or a painter (artist). For them law or painting has become their way of life, indeed, their life. In the same way for the pray-er, prayer has become his life. He is at home with it just as fish is at home in water.

As lawyer or painter practices his profession, in time he becomes an expert. He becomes a professional.  The pray-er, too, becomes an expert. He becomes good at praying. Practice means at least three things. 

Firstly, practice means exercising one’s profession. Simply put, the lawyer lawyers, the painter paints, and the pray-er prays. You do not learn to swim by reading. You learn by doing. For the pray-er, it means dedicating a specific time during the 24-hour period. This includes how long the prayer time would be.

Secondly, this practice must be constant. You do not learn to pray when your prayer is an on and off activity. They say that it takes ten years to be a concert pianist. And even when you become a concert pianist, the practice goes on. Paderewski was to have said: “If I don't practice for one day, I know it; if I don't practice for two days, my friends know it. If I don't practice for three days, EVERYBODY knows it.”

Thirdly, you do not only work hard (constancy) but you have to work smart (intelligently). Aspiring concert pianists do not just pound away at the keyboard. They follow a method. An author stated: “Practice methods can make the difference between a lifetime of futility, and a concert pianist in less than 10 years for young, dedicated students.” Beginning pray-ers may find the lectio divina method helpful. (I use the word “method” loosely.). J. Murray Elwood proposes the “Christ in my eyes; Christ in my heart; and Christ in my hands” method. Centering Prayer is another popular method. Pennington and Keating are some of the well-known teachers of this method.

Let us, however, keep in mind that praying is not like “lawyering” and painting. It is not just like any human activity. First and foremost it is a religious activity. And when you enter the sphere of the divine, things are different. In science, for example, in the realm of super cold temperatures, materials that are normally insulators become superconductors. Prayer is not just about human effort (ascetical aspect). It is above all, the action of God (mystical aspect). And it is the mystical aspect that makes or breaks the growth of a pray-er. For this a teacher that I recommend is St. Teresa of Avila. As an introduction, I recommend the nine grades of prayer (http://catholic-church.org/grace/growing/9grades/9grades.htm) and The Four Stages according to St. Teresa of Avila  (http://dave-notabene.blogspot.com/2010/06/four-stages-according-to-saint-teresa.html).

Why am I speaking about prayer at this time? The Lenten season according to Catholic practice is about prayer, penance (sacrifice) and almsgiving (charity). Perhaps instead of using the Holy Week as a time for fun and relaxation, let us use it to learn to pray and to pray. (I have no problem with fun and relaxation. What I object to is the timing. Not during Holy Week, please.)

THE BUTTERFLY OF BACMAN GEOTHERMAL PRODUCTION FIELD

[Photo: Taken at the butterfly farm of EDC in Bicol]

Last year (March 2012) the Postnovitiate community went to Bicol for our yearly summer outing. We wanted our Postnovices to visit our Salesian houses in Naga and in Legazpi, as well as the local tourist spots.

We went to Naga cathedral, seminary and museum, the Basilica and shrine of our Lady of Penafrancia, the Panicuason hot springs, Cagsawa, Daraga church, the house of the congregation founded by St. Louis Guenella and the BacMan Geothermal Production Field.

The field trip to BacMan was the most special. It covers the boundary of Legaspi City, Sorsogon City, Bacon District of Sorsogon City and the town of Manito Albay in the Bicol Region, South of Luzon.

It is owned by EDC. Its official website says: “Energy Development Corporation is a pioneer in the geothermal energy industry with more than three decades of proven business viability. It has helped discover new ways of developing and commercializing renewable energy right at the heart of the resource – wherever the location and whatever the condition. From exploration and production of water-based steam power to generation of electricity for commercial use, we build some of the world’s pioneering and most complex steam fields.”

Besides viewing the geothermal plant from afar, we were also brought to the Twin Falls, the hot spring and steam vents (the smell of sulphur was strong but bearable) and the butterfly farm. It was there that we were able to see a variety of butterflies. And we were delighted to have them rest on our fingers after some cajoling.

The farm has a chart containing the life cycle of a butterfly: egg, caterpillar, pupa or chrysalis and finally, adult or imago. It served as a review of what we had already taken up in biology. But now it serves another purpose, a spiritual one. It is a good reminder of the transformation that should happen to us during the season of Lent and which should culminate with Easter. Moreover, the pupa stage also seems to me to be an appropriate image for Jesus in the tomb while the adult stage expresses well his Resurrection from the sleep of death.

May our good will and the grace of God help us achieve this transformation, this metanoia that is at the heart of Ash Wednesday ritual. 

THE MAN ON THE SHROUD

[Photo – 3-D rendering of the image found in the Shroud of Turin. Photo taken at the Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, Rome.]

[This piece is not my own. I no longer know where I got it.]

WHAT IS CRUCIFIXION?

 A medical doctor provides a physical description:

 The cross is placed on the ground and the exhausted man is quickly thrown backwards with his shoulders against the wood. The legionnaire feels for the depression at the front of the wrist. He drives a heavy, square wrought-iron nail through the wrist deep into the wood. Quickly he moves the other side and repeats the action, being careful not to pull the arms too tightly, but to allow some flex and movement. The cross is then lifted into place. 

The left foot is pressed backward against the right foot, and with> both feet extended, toes down, a nail is driven through the arch of each, leaving the knees flexed. The victim is now crucified. 

As he slowly sags down with more weight on the nails in the wrists, excruciating fiery pain shoots along the fingers and up the arms to explode in the brain- the nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the median nerves. As he pushes himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, he places the full weight on the nail through his feet. 

Again he feels the searing agony of the nail tearing through the nerves between the bones of his feet. As the arms fatigue, cramps sweep through his muscles, knotting them deep relentless, and throbbing pain.

With these cramps comes the inability to push himself upward to breathe.  Air can be drawn into the lungs but not exhaled. He fights to raise himself in order to get even one small breath.

  Finally, carbon dioxide builds up in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subsided. Spasmodically, he is able to push himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen. 

Hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-renting cramps, intermittent partial asphyxiation, searing pain as tissue is torn from his lacerated back as he moves up and down against rough timber. Then another agony begins: a deep, crushing pain deep in the chest as the pericardium slowly fills with serium and begins to compress the heart.

It is now almost over-the loss of tissue fluids has reached a critical level the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish  blood into the tissues-the tortured lungs are making frantic effort to  gasp in small gulps of air. 

He can feel the chill of death creeping through his tissues. Finally, he can allow his body to die. All this the Bible records with the simple words, "and they crucified Him" (Mark 15:24).

What wondrous love is this!

Imagine the pain and suffering our Lord, Jesus Christ went through for us. Because of the brutality, crucifixion was given a sentence to only its worst offenders of the law. Thieves, murderers, and rapists would be the types who got crucified. Yet, here Jesus is being crucified between two hardened criminals. What did Jesus do? Did he murder anyone? Did he steal anything?

The answer as we all know is NO!! Jesus did nothing to deserve this type of death, yet he went willing to die, between 2 thieves, so that we might be saved. 

LAKE CALIRAYA

[Photo: Caliraya Lake]

Laguna Travel Guide describes Lake Caliraya this way: “Interestingly, Lake Caliraya in Laguna is a man-made lake situated in three towns - Lumban, Cavinti and Kalayaan. In 1937,  US Army Engineers created Lake Caliraya by flooding the Cavinti valley of Sierra Madre in order to generate hydroelectric power for Metro Manila. Entrepreneurs then saw the potential of the area and built two communities as ecological destinations where one can enjoy nature's unspoiled beauty. The man-made lake covers partly submerged land areas and this resulted to numerous islands complete with coves. These islands are now built with vacation houses, private villas, and resorts.”

October 26, 2011. Our community went up to Caliraya for our semestral break outing. There are two routes to Caliraya: via Rizal and via Laguna. The same Laguna Travel Guide gives the following directions for those wanting to take the Laguna route: “Take last exit to Calamba (via SLEX), turn right to Calamba Junction towards Los Banos all the way to Pagsanjan Church. Turn left passing through to Palacol Bridge going toward Barangay Bagong Silang and start ascent to Caliraya Lake.”

Although our starting point was Canlubang , the trip was a bit long. On the upside the roads were generally good, except for some portions on the way up to the lake. Since it was still early and the weather was cool and inviting, we decided to take a breather along the last leg of the journey and take pictures. (With the advent of digital cameras, photography has been democratized and you cannot claim something happened unless you are able to provide pictures to back it up.)

The scenery before us was nothing but one of peace and quiet, broken only by the occasional rustling of leaves and the happy chirping of birds—until we came. The countless picture-taking, individual and group shots, was accompanied by a Babel of voices—“Let’s take a picture here.” “Take a second shot.” “1, 2, 3, smile!” “Here. Take the camera. I want to have my picture taken, too.” And before we left, someone reminded us about the obligatory jumping shot.

The resort we went to was called Caliraya Paradise. It was leased to a Korean couple who happened to be Catholics. The resort was clean, well-kept and had large open spaces. An added bonus. We had the resort to ourselves. Perhaps, it was because it was a weekday. On the second day of our stay a family did come, a couple and their daughter. We learned that they were the owners of the Rudy Project business. But they did not stay long. They left sometime after lunch.

I appreciated spending our semestral break at Caliraya Paradise. I wanted the escape to a place that was peaceful, quiet and isolated. That’s the way I get my batteries recharged.

Lent is a time for re-charging our batteries. It is a time for getting re-energized. In religious terms, lent is a 40-day retreat meant to make us fit and strong for spiritual combat. Just like the Master who went to the desert to do battle against Satan and came out victorious, so also we enter the Lenten season in the hope of victory against the evil desires the pull our hearts away from God.

These are the traditional Lenten practices that are available to us for this spiritual combat: prayer, fasting and almsgiving. They have to be understood in broad terms. Prayer is taking time out for God. It is sharing with God what’s happening in our minds (share with him our thoughts) and in our hearts (share with him our feelings). Fasting is not just about food. It is about depriving ourselves of things that we like in order to strengthen our capacity to say “no” to temptation. If we are able to say “no” to smoking during Lent, it is highly probable that we can say “no” to temptation. Almsgiving is not just about giving something to beggars, although this is stressed in the Bible. It is also about any act of kindness.

The Ash Wednesday ritual is accompanied by the words “Turn away from your sins and believe in the Gospel.” If we do turn away from sin, where do we turn? We turn to God. Turning away from sin in order to turn to God is what we usually call conversion. But I prefer the expression “pagbabalik loob sa Diyos” (reconciling with God). And to me, this is the highlight of Lent. And this we celebrate in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Lent, therefore, would be seriously incomplete with going to confession.