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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Like Christ, we can be a sign of contradiction to some people. We should therefore learn how to handle that condition the way Christ handled his. It’s going to be an unavoidable feature in our life, especially nowadays when there are many powerful and influential people straying away from God’s will and ways.
All this is based on what Christ said once. “You are the light of the world…Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.” (Mt 5,14-16)
Of course, receiving a child in Christ’s name means receiving Christ and everything that he has done for the salvation of man, and this would include suffering and loving the cross. The cross is necessary for our life. It plays a big role in clarifying our true condition in our earthly life which is marked by sinfulness and thus, in great need of redemption.
We have to learn how to handle these predicaments. And the first thing to do is to develop a spiritual attitude and supernatural outlook in life, based on our faith in God that has to grow stronger every day. That faith, of course, has to give rise to hope and be nourished by charity.
We really need to internalize this duty, making it a strong and driving conviction by doing everything to make it so, studying, meditating, writing, talking, using all the available means to spread the living and saving word of God.
“Just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the desert, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, so that everyone who believes in him may 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.”
The centurion explained that he himself has authority over his men, and whatever he told them, his word would always be followed. He applied this understanding of the power of authority, based on his faith in Christ, to his request to Christ for the cure of his servant.
We just have to do our part, always activating our faith, which means that we should try our best to know Christ more and more, meditating on his life, teachings and example, and availing of all the means that the Church are providing us these days.
Unless we see things through Christ who said that he is the light of the world (cfr Jn 9), we actually cannot see things as they ought to be seen. If we simply rely on our senses and even on our intelligence, but without Christ through the exercise of our faith, we actually are blind. This we have to acknowledge.
It’s when we pray that we manage to relate who we are, what we have, what we do, etc. to our ultimate end which, to be sure, is not something only natural but is also supernatural. Nothing therefore can rival the importance of prayer. In other words, prayer is irreplaceable, unsubstitutable, indispensable. It’s never optional, though it has to be done freely if we want our prayer to be real prayer.
The secret, of course, is to become truly like Christ. He is the master of adaptation, flexibility, versatility, and consistency. This was shown, first of all, by the fact that out of sheer love for us, in spite of our stupidities, he became a man to recover us from our state of alienation from God. Yes, out of this unwavering love, he did everything, including offering his own life, to redeem us.
This can be the lesson we can learn from that gospel episode where Christ went to St. Peter’s house where he was presented with Peter’s sick mother-in-law whom he readily cured. After that, all those in the neighborhood who had some sickness were brought to Christ for curing. And he did! (cfr. Lk 4,38-44)