God Protect Us from Gloomy Saints

Reflections on Galatian 4:22-24, 26-27, 31-5:1 / Luke 11:29-32

God Protect Us From Gloomy Saints By Frank Savadera, SJ

James Martin in his book “Of Heaven and Mirth” hypes the playfulness of Santa Teresa of Avila.  Amidst all her pains and complains, Teresa reportedly heard our Lord saying:    "Teresa, that's how I treat my friends"  to which Teresa responded, "No wonder you have so few friends." 

Teresa was also reportedly to have said:  "May God protect me from gloomy saints."

GOD WISHES US WELL!   We are born through a PROMISE ... a real one ... and we have every reason to REJOICE ... us who may have FELT BARREN ...  BREAKFORTH and SHOUT and be FREE!  

The second point has something to do with the Gospel which says:  this generation is an evil one.  They’ve asked for a sign ... and no sign will be given them except the sign of Jonah.  It’s quite tricky for the Gospel to say that there is no sign ... except for one sign.  So ... meaning ... there is a sign after all.  What is the sign of Jonah ... from which we can derive spiritual fruit from? 

In the 2^nd Book of Kings, we hear Jonah saying:  "I worship the LORD, the God of heaven, who made land and sea" but I am also running away from the Lord.    "That’s an awful thing to do!," the sailors said.   Jonah makes a truly heroic suggestion:  "Throw me into the sea, and it will calm down the storm. I know it is my fault that you are caught in this violent storm."  We know the story very well ... Jonah was eaten or gobbled up by a whale ... he stayed in the bosom of the whale for three days and three nights ... and all throughout that time he was praying to the God whom he originally wished to desert.

"In my distress, O LORD, I called to you, and you answered me.  From deep in the world of the dead I cried for help, and you heard me.  You  threw me down into the depths, to the very bottom of the sea, where the waters were all around me, and all your mighty waves rolled over me. I thought I had been banished from your presence and would never see your holy Temple again.  The water came over me and choked me: the sea covered me completely, and seaweed wrapped around my head.   But you, O LORD my God, brought me back from the depths alive.  When I felt my life slipping away, then, O LORD, I prayed to you ... and you heard me.    I will sing praises to you; I will offer you a sacrifice and do what I have promised.  Salvation comes from the LORD!"

The second point is quite simple.  SALVATION INDEED COMES FROM THE LORD!  And we’re asked to confirm this ourselves as Jonah did.  Salvation can only come from the Lord.  Can we imagine how Jonah prayed inside the belly of that whale ... perhaps the same intense prayer we are asked to go through during the retreat ... a prayer that moved Jonah himself pursue even more intensely in speaking about God and his plans for the people of Nineveh.  And if we find the story of Jonah incredible ... the story tells us ... there is greater than Jonah here ... there is greater than Solomon here.  Salvation indeed comes from the Lord ... and what is that about?  We simply wish to have a foretaste of it!  Can we?

A forestate ... is exactly what St. Teresa of Avila had experienced.   A famous sculpture of Bernini precisely depicts her having a foretaste of DIVINE ECSTASY ... wherein a handsome angel holding an arrow or a lance readying to pierce Santa Teresa ... and Santa Teresa seemingly suggesting ... I’m ready pierce me!   (Note: Truly there are many erotic innuendos people attach to this Berninian artwork). 

A lot about prayer that we can pick up from Santa Teresa:  "Prayer is an act of love, words are not needed. Even if sickness distracts from thoughts, all that is needed is the will to love."

Describing mental prayer, she says:  "For mental prayer in my opinion is nothing else than an intimate sharing between friends; it means taking time frequently to be alone with him who we know loves us. The important thing is not to think much but to love much and so do that which best stirs you to love. Love is not great delight but desire to please God in everything."

Method of Prayer promotes what she calls an ascent of the soul:  which begins with mental prayer, a prayer of quiet, a devotion of union ... and finally reaching the ecstatic stage of "DEVOTION OF ECSTASY” or rapture," which is described as a passive state, in which the consciousness of being in the body disappears   Sense activity ceases; memory and imagination are also absorbed in God or intoxicated. Body and spirit are in the throes of a sweet, happy pain, alternating between a fearful fiery glow, a complete impotence and unconsciousness, and a spell of strangulation, intermitted sometimes by such an ecstatic flight that the body is literally lifted into space.

I don’t know if we can come close to that ... but perhaps ... we can try!  A stage of DEVOTION of ECSTASY ... wherein we become less concerned about what we plan for ourselves ... and instead soulfully yield to the leadings of Him who hold all our plans in His hands.

EXALTATION OF THE CROSS

Reflections on: Number 21:4-9  / Philippians 2:6-11 /  John 3:13-17 

What will life be without PAIN and SUFFERING? 

by Frank Savadera, SJ

I’ve read recently about current experiments being done by neuroscientists at the Washington University who have identified genes that control affective pain.  If there are genes that contribute to our having diabetes, hypertension, and other sicknesses ... there is also this gene that makes us susceptible to pain, suffering and depression.   They even have a name for it -- Gene No. P311.  Apparently, the number of this particular gene in the body of an animal determines if an animal will exhibit feelings of pain and suffering.  Since they have already identified the gene, these scientists conclude that if we can only isolate and remove this gene from an animal’s body – then such an animal will be free from experiencing pain and suffering.  Thus far, they have successfully eliminated Gene No. P311 from the bodies of cows and mice.   On one hand, we say:  Ang galing ‘di ba?

What would life be for man ... without pain and suffering?  Off hand – I say --- what a boring life?  Efforts to eliminate pain and suffering ... by virtue of bio-engineering or our simple ESCAPE from them ...  may perhaps come because of our sheer misunderstanding of their importance in our lives.  Can pain and suffering have a purpose? 

Firstly, we may need to distinguish what pain is from suffering.  I don’t know of any normal person who wishes to go through pain.  But not all pain is suffering. What are examples of pain?  Our fingers being pricked by a needle.  Losing a loved one.  Pain associated with sickness.  Pain we associate with shame and embarrassment. Pain can be anything from physical, emotional, or even spiritual.   We can be in pain ... but we do not automatically think of this as suffering.

How then is suffering different from pain?  According to one author: suffering begins at the moment we ascribe meaning to the pain: for example, we say: this pain is a punishment; this pain is deserved; this pain is undeserved, this pain is the consequence of injustice ... of my own selfishness, and so on.   Clearly, we attach meaning to our pains and convert them into forms of suffering.  It appears therefore that to suffer is an option,  a decision  any person can take.  Suffering need not be based on REAL PAIN.    It is TRUE also however that we can suffer because of IMAGINED PAINS.   Another person may be a REAL PAIN in the ____, but we need not make ourselves SUFFER because of that person.

On the feast of the EXALTATION or TRIUMPH of the CROSS, we are asked to reflect on our notions of PAIN and SUFFERING.  We may wish to ask:  How can the CROSS – a symbol of both pain and suffering – been redefined for us as a source not only of consolation but more so our very salvation? Hmmm ... the CROSS ... not simply an image of pain but as well a source of consolation?

Our first reading from the Book of Numbers speaks to us of the people of God, hungry and starving in the dessert.  We hear them complaining to Moses:  "Why have you brought us up from Egypt to die in this desert, where there is no food or water?  To make things worse,   the LORD sent among the people saraph serpents, which bit the people so that many of them got sick.   Hunger can indeed be a source of physical pain.  Our stomachs growl and we get a head ache when we are hungry.  We can be hungry and be in physical pain.  But we need not suffer much like how the Israelites in the desert seemed to have suffered.  PRAY FOR THE GRACE OF COURAGE TO BE ABLE TO FACE OUR PAINS AND PRAY FOR DELIVERANCE FROM SUFFERING.

HOW DID JESUS HANDLE PAIN AND SUFFERING?  The mystery of the INCARNATION ... God becoming man ... shows us the way!  Jesus is the way!  How did he deal with pain and suffering?   From 2 Philippians:  “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave,  coming in human likeness; and found human in appearance, he humbled himself, becoming obedient to death, even death on a cross.”  WE ARE ASKED TO ALL THE MORE EMBRACE OUR PAINS ... EMPTY OURSELVES AND BE OBEDIENT TIL THE END.  AMIDST ALL OUR PAINS ... GOD CALLS US STILL TO BE FAITHFUL.

SENSE OF GOD’S LOVE FOR THE WORLD.  DO NOT FORGET THE MIGHTY WORKS OF THE LORD.  For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life.  For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.

BREAKING AWAY FROM OUR CYCLES OF BEHAVING

BREAKING AWAY FROM OUR CYCLES OF BEHAVING

Reflections on JudGeS 2:11-19  /  MatTHew 19:16-22
By Frank Savadera, SJ 

The book of Judges that we start reading today, presents to us a cycle of God’s people being unfaithful (OFFENDING THE LORD), Yahweh flaring up and delivering them to the hands of plunderers, the LORD raising up judges to warn them and deliver them from their enemies. YET they continue not to follow the commandments of the LORD. They begin crying in distress.   Yahweh listens to their cries of affliction.  There comes PEACE but when the judge dies ... they relapse and do worse than the sins of their ancestors.  THEN the Lord FLARES up again and DELIVERS them again unto the hands of their despoilers ... and the cycle continues.  It will almost get tiring to read ... in the coming days about this cycle of being unfaithful, not following the commandments, the appearance of judges, people crying in affliction, Yahweh relenting and delivering his people from their enemies, the judge dies and everyone goes back to their old ways.

WHAT ARE THE CYCLES of our lives ... in which we feel ... we’ve been caught in ... almost involuntarily ... as if it has become our DEFAULT ... the TIMES when we say ... ETO NA NAMAN AKO ... nangyari na ito dati (HERE AM I AGAIN.  THIS HAPPENED ALREADY IN THE PAST).  Umuulit na naman ako.  The SAME PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR REPEATS ITSELF AGAIN ... and again and again.  I don’t seem to learn.  HOW DO I STOP MY CYCLE OF BEHAVING???

The more conscious among us can undestand that there are patterns of behaving in our different contexts that we ... UNCONSCIOUSLY IMBIBE.  One or two in the families of my lolo and lola tended to break-away from the family circle;  there are STRONG-WILLED women in my family;  the male members in my family tend to DIE younger; there’s a pattern of alcoholism and addiction in my family;  family members get into arguments; there's a history of getting into business deals that eventually got family members killed or assassinated.  What is the CYCLE in your family? 

Or on the personal level ... what PATTERNS OF BEHAVIOR do I get to repeat??  Why do I get agitated when I watch certain movies or observe peculiar behavior of people.  What stimuli in the environment will eventually upset me or get me very angry?  What role do I usually play when I am with friends ... am I the listener? The clown? The problem solver?  The community gatherer?  Am I usually the LAID BACK one?  Can I experiment on other ways of behaving ... other than the PATTERN or cycle of behaving that I’ve grown most accustomed to?  Can I break away from MY CYCLE??

A cycle is precisely something that begins and ends and begins again ... begins and ends and begins again ... begins and ends and begins again.  CYCLE!!!!  NAKAKAPAGOD! 

 

It is interesting for me to note the ORIGINAL GREEK WORDS used by the young man in the gospel for ETERNAL LIFE ... ZOEwei AIONIOS – eternal life; NO BEGINNING AND NO END ... a LIFE that does not begin nor end.    “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”  OR if we translate that now to how we interpret the Gospel:  LORD, how do I PUT A STOP TO MY PATTERN OF BEHAVING ... to my DEFAULT BEHAVIOR ... (HERE AM I AGAIN.  THIS HAPPENED ALREADY IN THE PAST).  Umuulit na naman ako.  The SAME PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR REPEATS ITSELF AGAIN ... and again and again. NAKAKAPAGOD NA!  .    “Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?”

Can we just get into the FEELING OF EXHAUSTION ... the FEELING OF EXASPERATION ... THE FEELING OF FRUSTRATION ... REPEATING AND REPEATING THE PATTERN OF BEHAVIOR perhaps experienced by that young man in the Gospel.  He wants ETERNAL LIFE ... ZOEWAY AIONIOS ... a life of no beginning and no end ... a LIFE FREE FROM MY CYCLE and ENDLESS PATTERNS OF BEHAVING. 

If you wish to be COMPLETE – teleios (perfect);  TELOS ... brought to completion ... or be brought to your end ... KEEP THE ENTOLEY – COMMANDMENTS (FAITHFULNESS) or better yet GIVE AWAY YOUR POSSESSIONS (HOOPHARCHONTA – POSSESSIONS – literally ... that which BEGINS YOU ... that which anchors/ roots you ... that which allows you to RULE. What leads you ... or that which we are so attached to (i.e., my family, my reputation, what I think of myself, what I made for myself, my pride, my sense of privacy, my friendships ... or even the vocation ... I want to be a Jesuit ... baka possession na yan?   

Today ... we are asked to reflect on our PATTERNS / CYCLES of behaving ... how are we called to BREAKAWAY from such possibly negative cycles in our lives and to ZOEWAY AIONIOS ... a life of no beginning and no end.  Will I be willing to let go of what usually rules me???  Or do I simply forget all about these things ... and turn away sad and grieving all the days of our lives.  Always ... we are asked to choose. 

IS LOVING AND SERVING GOD ... 

THE WILL OF YOUR HEART?

Reflections on Joshua 24:14-29  /  MatThew 19:13-15
by Frank savadera, SJ  

Joshua asks his people something which we are constantly being asked ourselves:  DISCERN ... IS LOVING AND SERVING GOD ... THE WILL OF YOUR HEART?  Can you decide today whom you will serve?   Whom do we really wish to serve?  The God of our fathers or the little strange gods that we had created for ourselves?  It was EASY for us to respond therefore that it is Yahweh we would like to serve.  But Joshua then commands everyone:   “Put away the strange gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

WHAT ARE THESE STRANGE GODS in our contemporary context?  They that we are drawn to ... whom we know as FALSE yet WE ALLOW THEM TO RULE our HEARTS and our MINDS?  We are beholden to them instead of being more focused on the great works of God!  How do these STRANGE GODS manifest their presence in our lives?  Can we identify them ... label them and even speak to them ... tell them:  STRANGE GOD KA!  You estrange me from what I truly believe and what I hope to become. (ESTRANGE? ... that which isolates us ... alienates us ... pushes us away from the GOOD!)  ... and SADLY ... we can be so convinced of the TRUTH about them ... that we had allowed them to rule our lives.  STRANGE GODS THAT ESTRANGE US FROM THE TRULY GOOD.  Example:  DESPAIR – STRANGE GOD YAN!  This is beyond me ... I am HOPELESS ... I am NO GOOD!  We allow DESPAIR to rule over us.  PREJUDICE – our evil perceptions of people ... STRANGE GOD YAN!  This guy is DIFFERENT ... WEIRD SYA!  From this day onward ... I declare war against him!  CYNICISM – kalokohan naman yan.  This is a USELESS activity.  I have nothing to gain from it.  I’ve gone through that before ... it didn’t work.  Why try it again?  STRANGE GOD YAN!  Each time, we encounter these strange god in our midst, be reminded of Joshua who tells us:  “Put away the strange gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the LORD, the God of Israel.”

WHAT HELPS THEREFORE TO FREE US FROM THESE FALLS GODS?  Joshua himself makes a proposal:  “Fear the LORD and serve him completely and sincerely.”

FEAR THE LORD – this is HOLY FEAR: be more afraid knowing that my current pre-occupation is not in the service of God ... or that which alieanates me from God.  Know that I can be distracted from how God is calling me at this time and at this minute.  Fear of the Lord allows us to constantly re-adjust our perspectives ... GOD IS THE SOLE FOCUS AND OBJECT OF ALL THE THINGS THAT I SEE AND EXPERIENCE.  Other than that ... MATAKOT KA! FEAR THE LORD! 

SERVE HIM – IS THIS WHAT GOD REALLY WANTS ME TO DO or is this SIMPLY SELF-GRATIFYING!  Can I catch myself.  Am I serving God or simply serving myself.   This is simply CONVENIENT FOR ME ... FOR ME ... FOR ME! 

IN SINCERITY AND TRUTH:   A certain HONESTY ... gusto ko ba talaga ito ... or I AM JUST FOOLING MYSELF.  If I cannot be honest about what I truly feel about things now ... I don’t know how I can be HAPPY!  BITTER!  ANGRY!  DEPRESSED! I always say:  If there would be a time in your life that you will need to be most honest to yourself ... let this be the time ... FOR YOUR OWN SAKE!  THIS IS YOUR LIFE WE ARE TALKING ABOUT HERE. 

The CALL of Joshua therefore remains relevant for us today:   DISCERN ... IS LOVING AND SERVING  GOD ... THE WILL OF YOUR HEART ... decide today.  How are we putting away the STRANGE GODS that tend to overpower us and estrange us from focusing on God and God alone.  

This is why the IMAGE OF A CHILD in our Gospel is important:  A child MANIFEST A CERTAIN FEAR ... A HEALTHY FEAR  ... I’LL FOLLOW ... KASI SABI NG NANAY ... GANITO GANYAN!  A child manifest a certain SINCERITY OF HEART ... he wouldn’t lie ... di ba?    “Let the children come to me, and do not prevent them; for the Kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.”  

More than being childlike ... let a line from the Gospel further console us:  JESUS PLACED HIS HANDS ON THEM ... on the CHILDREN  and he went away.  He gives his blessings ... and leaves us on our own ... for what?  TO DECIDE ... TO DISCERN ... CAN I LOVE AND FOLLOW THIS GOD ... OR DO I CONTINUE TO KEEP AND HOLD ONTO MY STRANGE AND LITTLE GODS ... we discern.

  

I AM THE GOD OF YOUR FATHERS ....

 

JUST HAD A THOUGHT:At masses the past days, we had been reading about the patriarchs and YAHWEH introducing Himself (specifically to Moses) as I AM WHO AM. Interestingly, he says: I AM the God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob. Hmmmm! Nothing too strange about that yet. The past days also saw narrations of how these patriarchs died. Abraham died. Isaac died. Jacob died ... Joseph died and so on. Here's the interesting part: Yahweh says ... in the PRESENT TENSE ... I AM THEIR GOD! It would have been different if Yahweh says I WAS THEIR GOD. Grammar check 'to! But He says I AM ... IN THE PRESENT TENSE. Strange ba? His relationship with those who had passed on to the next life continues ... and ... and ... THEY LIVE ... and ... and ... THEY ARE ALIVE ... IN THE PRESENT TENSE. God's presence makes those ONCE DEAD alive. And perhaps this applies as well to those who are LIVING. Good day everyone.

INGESTING THE BITTER-SWEET WORD OF GOD

INGESTING THE BITTER-SWEET WORD OF GOD 

Reflections on Revelations 10:8-11  /  Luke 19:45-48

Memorial of Sts. Columban, Pope Clement I and Blssd Miguel Pro

by Frank Savadera, SJ

From the Book of REVELATION, we read:  John heard a voice from heaven speaking to him.  "Go, take the scroll (or book in some versions) that lies open in the hand of the angel ...” Take and swallow it. It will turn your stomach sour, but in your mouth it will taste as sweet as honey." 

There is simply something strange visualizing an image of the evangelist John taking a scroll or pieces of hard paper ... cardboard ... and eating them as the angel instructed him.   We see babies or toddlers ... sometimes tearing pieces of paper and putting such in their mouths.  HAVE YOU EATEN PAPER ... at least once in your life?    It may be true perhaps to think that doing so can give anyone a stomach upset.

We would like to think of the book or the scroll mentioned in our first reading as representing the words of God.  Eating and consuming it thus speak of the probable effects of God’s word on us.  Thus, God’s words may be SWEET to the TASTE ... SWEET IN THE MOUTH ... but BITTER or SOUR to the STOMACH.  What do we mean? 

We celebrate the life and witness of at least a dozen saints whose memorial we remember today.  How is God’s word for them SWEET IN THE MOUTH ... but BITTER or SOUR to the STOMACH?

SWEET in the MOUTH.   Today is the feast and memorial of ST. COLUMBAN – an IRISH monk and missionary who at one time found himself in the middle of a pack of wolves.  Holding the Holy Bible in his hands, he prayed  "Deus in adjutorium" (God come to my assistance) ... and the wolves reportedly smelt his clothes and left him.  Incidentally ... some church historians think of this Irish monk as very attractive (guapo) and had problems with his relationships and attractions with women.  The word of God reportedly came to him through the words of a reclusive OLD WOMAN who suggested that he fly to a region where girls are less beautiful and seductive than those in Ireland. "Save thyself, young man, and fly!"  Because of such words, Saint Columban found himself moving around ... moving around ... setting up communities wherever he went ... the beginnings of his missionary activity.  Isn’t this what we mean by:  THE WORD OF GOD IS SWEET TO THE MOUTH ... the same kind words we perhaps receive when we are so consoled in our prayers and retreats.  And we know that this is true because we had experienced so ... you may agree. 

The WORD OF GOD is SWEET in THE MOUTH – Pope Clement I – 2^nd/ 3^rd pope after Peter (whose feast we also remember today) may have realized this all to well ... as he preached firmly to strengthen the pillars of the Church which Christ had established.  He wrote letters to the communities of Corith affirming the authority of presbyters as rulers of the church, on the grounds that the Apostles had received God’s word and appointment as shepherds of the flock. 

In our Gospel today, Jesus himself also preached everyday in the temple area.  And isn’t it ... isn’t it simply consoling to hear the word of God preached ... how inspiring it is to hear the dramatic stories of saints who followed the word of God.  THE WORD OF GOD is indeed truly SWEET to CHEW and  MUNCH in the MOUTH. 

But even in the life of Pope Clement ... we know that he was incarcerated and sentenced to work in a marble quarry ... thus becoming the patron of marble-makers.  While serving his time, the Pope managed to secretly preach and proclaim the faith which eventually irked his captors.  As tradition tells us, the Pope was thrown alive into the sea with a huge anchor  attached to his neck.  The WORD of God is indeed SWEET to HEAR ... inspiring to LISTEN TO ... but it also presents the reality that once ingested or taken into the mouth ... it will need to be digested ... and for some ... it becomes difficult to DIGEST.  Should we eat the WORD OF GOD ... can it also cause INDIGESTION ... Na—IMPACHO tayo sa salita ng Diyos!   What do we mean??? 

The word of God consoles us ... YES ... but it also calls us beyond mere self-conscious consolation.  It calls us to the BITTER-SWEET REALITY of committing ourselves to the work of God ... much as our saints generously offered their lives for God’s work.  The Word of God is SWEET to the MOUTH but we are asked to anticipate that it takes GRACE to bear with the BITTER and SOUR realities that go with faithfully subscribing to the WORD. 

Given our own examples ... we may ask ourselves, how easily do we give up in seeking God ... when things do not work our way?  How are our original fruits of prayer --- telling us to be good as God wishes us to be good --compromised when NEW DATA in our environment simply proved SWEETER? 

Friends today we also remember the life of  a JESUIT BEATO by the name of BLESSED MIGUEL PRO a priest  who lived during the time of  anti-Clericalism and the persecution of the Church in Mexico .   To proceed with his ministry,  he apparently disguised himself  a la JAMES BOND – double “O7.”   Reportedly, he would come in the middle of the night dressed as a beggar to baptize infants, bless marriages and celebrate Mass. He would appear in jail dressed as a police officer to bring Holy Viaticum to condemned Catholics. When going to fashionable neighboorhoods to procure for the poor, he would show up at the doorstep dressed as a fashionable businessmam with a fresh flower on his lapel. His many exploits could rival those of the most daring spies.  We went around preaching that the WORD of God is indeed SWEET.   But ... eventually he was falsely accused in  an attempt to assassinate the Mexican president.  He was sentenced to death without the benefit of any legal process.  On the day of his execution, Fr. Pro forgave his executioners, prayed, bravely refused the blindfold and died proclaiming, "Viva Cristo Rey", "Long live Christ the King!" 

Friends, our Gospel today also tells us how the scribes and the chief priests couldn’t put Jesus to death ... simply because many were hanging on to his words.  Today, as we remember the lives of Sts. Columban and Clement and Blessed Miguel Pro ... let us truly be consoled of the SWEET WORDS which we receive always from God.  We pray as well for the grace to continually HANG ONTO HIS WORDS even amidst the bitter realities of our lives.  

  

TRANSFORMING FEAR INTO HOLY WISDOM

Feast of St. John the Baptist

TRANSFORMING FEAR INTO HOLY WISDOM

by Frank Savadera, SJ

I was just wondering:  If there are surveys measuring the public’s approval ratings of government leaders ... are there also such similar kinds of quantitative surveys assessing church goers’ approval of their priests and bishops? 

Given the bad press the church has been getting the past years ... one may think that people’s perception of church leaders had gone really sour. 

Believe it or not ... a recent survey released by the PEW Research Center of Washington D.C. and published by the UCANEWS ONLY this August 2012 reveals interesting results.  For the 20-year period between 1992 to 2012 ... the approval ratings of priests in the United States had been steady at 80-83%.  (This is high ... considering Obama’s 49%; Pinoy’s 42% in July 2012). The approval ratings of American bishops on the other hand, had increased dramatically from 51% ten years ago to a current high of 70% despite the many controversies hounding the Church of North America (i.e. the newly-delegated Archbishop of San Francisco was recently caught driving under the influence of alcohol).

Though it may not be the Church’s way of proceeding to refer to popularity ratings as means to assess the effectiveness of church programs ... we can still nevertheless surmise that ...  regardless of the countless accusations hurled against the church ... the public ... amazingly still easily accord  their church leaders degrees of respect and positive regard.  If the ratings above apply to the church in Northern America ... we can perhaps expect higher approval ratings of priests and bishops here in the Philippines where life still revolves much around the activities of the church (with or without the RH Bill).

In a similar way ... no matter what charges Herod and Herodias hurled against John the Baptist ... which merited his being in prison ... the Baptizer as gleaned from our Gospel reading ... nevertheless STILL enjoyed the confidence of many ... and even of Herod himself.

As the Gospel implies:  Herod seemed to have feared John, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man.   Herod kept John in custody. When he heard him speak he was very much perplexed, yet he liked to listen to him.

HEROD FEARED JOHN. HEROD LIKED TO LISTEN TO JOHN.  Friends, SINNERS as we are ... and much like what Herod himself manifested in the Gospel ... we nevertheless are called to pray for and keep a basic sense of FEAR of the LORD.  As in the case of Herod, FEAR of the LORD allowed him a recognition of what is TRUE, RIGHTEOUS and HOLY.  He thought of John the Baptist as a righteous and holy man.  Herod feared him because he knows that John speaks the truth.  Consequently and this we know ... knowing the truth is accompanied by a lot of FEAR ... FEAR that sometimes causes us a lot of panic attacks, headaches, fatigue and stomach problems.  Herod feared John ... but Herod nevertheless still liked to listen to him.  Friends, let our fears be HOLY fears of the Lord.  Let our approval ratings of Him remain high ... knowing that indeed His holiness and righteousness transform our FEARS to a greater wisdom of ourselves and our God.   

Though Herod continued to listen to John ... he was just too weak to put into effect what he believed was TRUE.   He was just caught up with the many demands and influences which surrounded him.  He was just so enthralled by the girl, daughter of Herodias who danced in front of him.  He became overly concerned not to be embarrassed in front of many people.  As such even though He believed and continued to listen to John ... he succumbed to his weak and easily swayed self.  He had the holy and righteous KILLED.  We pray for greater strength of character ... the inner will to stand by what we believe is TRUE despite the numerous voices and influences we hear around us.

After beheading John the Baptist, Herod was DISTRESSED.  What for us is distress?  DISSONANCE between what we TRULY desire and what our current concerns force us to do.   The king was deeply distressed, but because of his oaths and the guests he did not wish to break his word.   Amidst instances of distress ... may we grow in greater integrity.

We are in the business of helping keep not simply the approval rating of the Church BUT MORE SO keeping and sustaining its INTEGRITY.