Fr. Roy Cimagala is a Catholic priest and the Chaplain of the Center for Industrial Technology and Enterprise (CITE) in Talamban, Cebu City. A prolific columnist and spiritual director, he provides daily theological insights and moral guidance for the modern believer. His writing bridges the gap between traditional Catholic doctrine and the complexities of contemporary Philippine life, offering a roadmap for spiritual maturity and "new creation" in Christ.
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Our Christian faith tells us that God’s love for us is eternal. It’s a love that goes all the way to showing mercy for us in the form of his Son becoming man and taking up all the sins of men by dying on the cross. No greater love can there be other than this love of God for us.
Yes, we need to pray without ceasing, as St. Paul told us in his First Letter to the Thessalonians. (5,16) To keep our spiritual life alive, to make it survive all trials in life, let alone, to make it work effectively and grow healthily, we need to pray without letup.
God does not need anything from us. What he wants is that by being thankful to him, we learn to be with him always since we are his children, created in his image and likeness. He wants to share his life with us.
This truth of our faith was implied when some leading Jews once asked Christ when the Kingdom of God would come. To which, Christ answered that “the coming of the Kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, ‘Look, here it is,’ or, ‘There it is.’ For behold, the Kingdom of God is among you.” (cfr. Lk 17,20-25)
We need to be prepared to properly handle this unavoidable condition in our life. We should try our best not to scandalize others. Instead, we should do all we can to give a good example and edify others. And since we cannot avoid scandals, we should learn how to toughen ourselves so as not to be scandalized by them. Instead, we should see how we can correct and help those who cause scandals.
Yes, there is such thing as righteous anger which we have to understand well since it is a very delicate emotion or passion that can easily turn bad if we are not careful. Remember St. Paul saying, “Be angry but do not sin. Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.” (Eph 4,26)
While it’s true that we obviously are entitled to our rights, we should not feel entitled to privileges and favors that are above our rights and needs. If they come and we cannot avoid them, then let’s be thankful.
We can ask if God, who must have been personified in some way by the rich man in the parable, is just ok with some cheating, with being dishonest, with being calculating as leverage for one’s personal gain and interest.
We obviously have to understand these words properly. We are men and women with material and emotional needs. We cannot let go of our loved ones if we want to retain our humanity, and of course, of our Christianity. But we have to realize that meeting these human needs should be animated by the proper spirit of love that Christ is showing and giving us. It should not displace such a spirit.
That gospel episode about the brothers James and John wanting to be seated at the sides of God in his kingdom (cfr. Mk 10,35-45) reminds us that while it’s good to desire what is best for us, we have to make sure that we are ready to do what it takes to achieve such intention, desire or ambition.
These words have no other purpose than to tell us that the magnificence of heaven can be reached through the little ordinary things of our day as long as we handle or do them with faith, hope and charity.
We are reminded of this duty when in the gospel Christ said, “Be sure of this: if the master of the house had known the hour when the thief was coming, he would not have let his house be broken into. You also must be prepared, for at an hour you do not expect, the Son of Man will come.” (Lk 12,39-40)