THE JOYFUL BROTHER

THE JOYFUL BROTHER

Every once, in awhile, a Brother of the Catholic religious Order would come to visit me. He  naturally  wears that peaceful, contented, and joyful countenance, without hint of artificiality. He radiates the quietness of spirit and the confidence of faith which is infectious.

How both of us, each, from the opposite side of the sectarian fence, a Baptist and a Catholic, got acquainted, and shared common interest, was I believe providential.

His unplanned visits would refresh me,  especially  in times when I get much too serious with or immersed in worldly endeavors.

Our conversation would be brief but genuinely deep and personal. Yet the talk is  seasoned with joy  in the  Lord. He would give fresh insights about God’s word in relation to his earthly existence, and the challenges he faced. As a Seminarian,  he is still praying hard for God’s leading if he would serve the Cause of Christ by returning to his Order and become an ordained priest. For the moment he finds peace in the ministry of teaching. 

In every parting he would always assure me that the only thing he could do in exchange for the time and kindness shown to him, is prayer.

The aura of this Brother is unlike some Christians I meet.

They assume serious, heavy, faces and stern, weary looks which seem to create an impression that they  are either aloof in self righteousness, or angry or they carry the weight of the world alone, as if God had gone away for awhile and ordered them to take over.  

Jean Maalouf one of my favorite Catholic  religious writers aptly observed:

“Many Christians… do not seem to live joyful lives. The indwelling presence of the Trinity’s community of love in them remains only an intellectual idea, that hasn’t touched their daily existence. They are not able to realize the “all-ness” of God in  their lives. They misinterpret the very message of Christianity which is “good news of great joy”(Luke 2:10)… They underestimate the value of childlike abandonment to God and cannot understand that they have to “live by the Spirit”(Gal 5:16) so that they can enjoy “newness of life.”(Romans 6:4)

Many Christians do not know that joy adds depth to everything they do.”  (The Healing Power Of Joy)       

STRAIGHT AND SIMPLE

On a late afternoon I lined up in popular Fast-Food Chain  to have a bite. The hunger pangs needed to be appeased.

When I reached the girl at the counter she gave the usual pat greeting and asked what I wanted. I said I wanted a hamburger.

She seemed puzzled by the simplicity of my need. She asked me if I would prefer hamburger with cheese, burger with coke, burger with fries, burger with pasta or would I prefer meal 1, meal 2 or meal 3, or a number of combinations which they call combo, making my head spin.

I was only hoping  she would feed me a piece of hamburger, no more no less. So why push an array of food  in a dizzying display of commercial hype pressing me to spend more for what I don’t need? 

I realized  visiting a food chain is stressful.. Ordering or buying food  nowadays is  complicated. A lot of run around, obtuse offers, confusing presentation, or worst deceiving spirits.

One authority in the field of Communication says we should stick to the simple principle of KISS.

Keep

It

Straight (and)

Simple.

Why not? And why can’t they? 

Our Lord is the greatest Master of simplicity. He summarized the Ten Commandments and reduced it only to two:

“Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul, and with all your mind.” (Matthew 22:37)

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” (Matthew 22:39)

Still, despite the straight simplicity some Christians find it hard to understand and obey them.

Like the lawyer who talked to Jesus, they have to ask who is my neighbor (See Luke 10:25-37) then start a debate.

Ah, what a world.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

CHECK AND BALANCE

CHECK AND BALANCE

If there is anything good which could come out of the Supreme Court decision declaring as unconstitutional the DAP, it is the constitutional principle of checks and balances. Senator Alan Peter Cayetano, himself a lawyer, said the system works.

The Supreme Court, though, admittedly the weakest, of the three major departments of government,  should  be lauded.  

The High Court has shown its independence and fortitude   in deciding one of  the most politically controversial and highly charged  issues ever to confront the current administration. As the guardian of the constitution and the final arbiter of justiciable  questions involving the proper exercise of constitutional powers by the political departments  of government,  the Supreme Court has once again upheld the supremacy of the Constitution,  not its own supremacy, when it in effect ruled that this time, in the DAP controversy  the Executive has overstepped its powers and encroached upon the domain of a co-equal branch of government.

This is the beauty of the mechanism of checks and balances which operates tangibly and not  theoretically in our government affairs. Here we see in reality this constitutional principle at work.  The principle is enshrined in the Constitution, to guard against  excesses in the use of power or abuses in the exercise of discretion  when either Congress or the President steps over the constitutional boundaries.  It also provides a sobering   thought that not even the President or the members of Congress could simply act in any way they wish,  or tread beyond uncharted course for they might run afoul with the fundamental law, whose keeper and guardian is the Highest Court of the land.  

The pragmatic implication is that while we are a government of laws and not of men,  we are governed by men,  whose imperfection, frailties, and  inclination might lead them to irrational zealousness or to be drunk with power thus subverting the very institutions upon which our nation stands.