Why Have You Abandoned Me?

The salvific power of Christ is not that he is a nice man who gave up some of his belongings to his neighbours, but that he is confronting the evil Darwinian cosmos with his love. The Darwinian Principle is “survival for the fittest.” This is how everything develops after “Original Sin.” Christ on the other hand offers himself as the lover who suffers death in order to save the ego of man. Evolution did take place. Humans are only the last of the chain. The question is that no creature wants to die. On the contrary every creature wants to survive, even if at the expense of someone else. But in humanity there is a mind and a will that the human can direct himself to a different path. Metanoia (Penance) is exactly that: Reject the Darwinian Principle and start moving in the reverse direction – the direction of love that suffers to the end for the Other – God is in the Other. He hides there. On the cross Christ said the words “Why have you abandoned me?” Although holy Jewish people recited this psalm 22 prayer when they were dying thus entrusting themselves to God who will save them “Then I will proclaim your name to the assembly; in the community I will praise you” Christ’s prayer was much deeper. His last word was “It is finished” indicating his mission of love has come to completion by his cross. Addressing his beloved Father he said “In your hands, I commit my spirit” This is his prayer par excellence. Full trust and eternal love that challenges humanity and can transform it. He is the God and author of true life, the One who challenged the Darwinian Principle in his act of total love and trust, his act of zero retaliation, his act of filial submission to the Father - unlike the slave submission in Islam and other world religions. And today, where is Christ in our civilization? We have violence and hatred growing in the land that was once Christian – The Middle East. In the West, the Darwinian Principle of “Me” seems to be the law in spite of tremendous efforts at humanizing humanity. The big corporations eat the young ones. Technology which ideally should help alleviate suffering is used in a way that is adding more isolation – psychological distress. And not many wish to follow Christ and his cross. Life is becoming too stressful. Running around to survive has isolated almost everyone of us from the love we need in our families, our society and our world. Look into yourself and you will see a tired person! Africa needs badly help for its people to survive, and we are giving minimal help. We are content with only growing our “own” and think that extending life will offer us at last some material comfort. Our churches are one third full when half a century ago they were full. Where are we? Busy in life to survive! Even family emotional relationships are broken by making love equal to sexual gratification outside marriage, legalizing divorce and requiring my share in the assets with my partner before I get into marriage. In the Holy Week, we should have a second look at ourselves and start to repent. When we accept the cross of Christ in our lives, we will then share in his Resurrection.

Haiti - A contemporary story of Job

This past Friday, we discussed how is it that God allows such evils as the earthquake in Haiti...One person had expressed her hope in an email "In spite of all the 'darkness' that has happened I cannot help but see the Light in what is happening. So many countries (some of which are enemies) have come together to help restore and bring faith and hope back to this broken nation. I see Christ working in such marvellous ways. Sometimes we must remember that before the Resurrection came the Crucifixion." Haiti, in fact, turned out to be the place where God, as always, brought good out of evil - The Red Cross reported that 3 days after the earthquake, it had already received $8 million in $10 donations by text messaging from young adults using their iPhones. What do you make of this outpouring care? Some of the donors are literally kids who wanted to share. Many organizations and countries pitched in an act of solidarity - The face of God shone on many hearts, even when they did not explicitly recognize it. We went back to Job whose trajedy in the Old Testament reminds us of our own. Job was an upright man and was blessed with abundant family life and material richness. For his great piety, Satan said to God "Is it for nothing that Job is God-fearing? Have you not surrounded him and his family and all that he has with your protection? You have blessed the work of his hands, and his livestock are spread over the land. But now put forth your hand and touch anything that he has, and surely he will blaspheme you to your face." When God permitted the calamity to happen to Job and Job lost his family and his belongings, he, unlike us, remained loyal to God. The tempter went again and said to the Lord "Skin for skin! All that a man has will he give for his life. But now put forth your hand and touch his bone and his flesh, and surely he will blaspheme you to your face." And God permitted Satan and "Satan smote Job with severe boils from the soles of his feet to the crown of his head." What was Job's response? He refused to curse God and was suffering in silence, but you can see how great suffering touched upon his soul and made him utter the words "Why did I not perish at birth, come forth from the womb and expire?" Only then you see Satan no more. Only then Job lost his battle...A long discussion emerges between Job and his friends - in particular a long admonition by Elihu...But wait for the end of the war - It is a story that shows the human trajedy of everyone. At the end, God responds to Job's questioning "Where were you when I founded the earth? Tell me, if you have understanding. Who determined its size; do you know? Who stretched out the measuring line for it? Into what were its pedestals sunk, and who laid the cornerstone, While the morning stars sang in chorus and all the sons of God shouted for joy? And who shut within doors the sea, when it burst forth from the womb; When I made the clouds its garment and thick darkness its swaddling bands?" Job responded by addressing the Lord "I know that you can do all things, and that no purpose of yours can be hindered. I have dealt with great things that I do not understand; things too wonderful for me, which I cannot know. I had heard of you by word of mouth, but now my eye has seen you. Therefore I disown what I have said, and repent in dust and ashes." The Book of Job then proclaims "the LORD restored the prosperity of Job, after he had prayed for his friends; the LORD even gave to Job twice as much as he had before. Then all his brethren and his sisters came to him, and all his former acquaintances, and they dined with him in his house. They condoled with him and comforted him for all the evil which the LORD had brought upon him; and each one gave him a piece of money and a gold ring. Thus the LORD blessed the latter days of Job more than his earlier ones." The story of Job tells us of God's outpouring and unflinshing love, in spite of every evil small or great, because He alone can cure us. He alone can give us a blessed life. The entire Biblical story is online here http://www.usccb.org/nab/bible/index.shtml#job for your reading. It simply reiterates what St. Paul says "We know that in everything God works for good with those who love him, who are called according to his purpose." (Rom 8: 28)

Is God in your brain? The Answer

Dr. Andrew Newberg of the University of Pennsylvania did much research re the mind’s relationship to God. Dr. Newberg wrote a book called “Why God Won’t Go Away” based on his experiments. In this work, also sometimes referred to as neurotheology, Newberg describes the possible neurophysiological mechanisms associated with religious and spiritual experiences. His initial research included the use of functional brain imaging to study Franciscan nuns in prayer and Buddhist meditators. Newberg has maintained that science and brain imaging studies are only tools to evaluate the brain during such experiences but do not necessarily negate such experiences. Here is an excerpt from an interview that Robert Wright had with Andrew Newberg. It is accessible online through my blog. In Newberg, there are levels of union with God: First we start by having a sense of feeling beauty (sunset, concert...etc), Second, we find a sense of community and love when we pray to God in Church. We have a sense of awe when we praise God in Church. Third: Prayer is a mild relationship with God and others. Fourth: intensive and long experience in prayers and meditation may lead a few people to have ecstasy and union with God (as St. Bernard says in his teaching on the 4 loves.) Two powerful questions: One: Dr. Newberg explains the feeling of oneness with God in terms of the brain lobes. Does not this mean that God is created in our brains? Answer: Dr. Newberg did not suggest that God is created by the brain. Here is what he said in the interview with Robert Wright (an agnostic) about where in the brain he detected the changes of brain activities during meditation by some nuns “That's part of the brain technically called the posterior superior parietal lobe we've sort of dubbed "the orientation area" and it is the orientation area that takes all of our sensory input -- visual, auditory, body sensory input -- and creates for us a sense of our self and a sense of that self's orientation within the world. Our model suggests that when people go through these kinds of experiences, particularly through a meditative or prayer type of practice, that by blocking the sensory input into this area you ultimately prevent that particular part of the brain from being able to do a good job at orienting the self and even creating the sense of self. If you block that out completely you would have a complete loss of any sort of definition or boundary of the self and we think that they may explain why people feel this absorption into some object of prayer or meditation, absorption into God, becoming one with something in the universe or becoming one with God, you have a loss of that sense of self and other or that sense of self and world by blocking the input into that area. I should stop here and go back to the point here that we're talking along a very reductionist path right now which I think is okay and I think is important but I think our ultimate conclusions are actually going to be very far from the reductionist...” It is clear from the above that he is talking about a mechanism in the brain that reflects in the body what is happening in the soul. He emphatically also says “When we look at a mystical experience as being a very profound spiritual state they’re usually associated with very powerful emotional responses whether they are ecstatic responses or very powerful quiescent kind of response or even some kind of combination of the two, they often are associated with a strong sense of becoming one with or becoming unified with God (or the Universe or some absolute nature of the world). Those are probably the main defining characteristics of the most profound types of mystical experiences. But we also look at all types of spiritual experiences along a continuum where we start with base-line reality and the individual discreetness of things in reality -- tables, chairs, cars and things like that -- all the way through very mild experiences that someone may have looking at a sunset or listening to a beautiful Mozart concerto. And then finally, on up to the very powerful kinds of experiences people get after many many years of meditation or prayer and where they ultimately do become absorbed into their object of meditation or prayer... Well a very obvious example is when people go to a church or synagogue and participate in some type of service where they may experience a fairly strong sense maybe of awe, of God, a very strong sense of love, a sense of community with the people that they are with as well as the sense of becoming part of something greater than themselves even though it doesn't necessarily mean that they have a complete loss of that sense of self.” Two: What Dr. Newberg says about experiencing God can be applied to any religion. Does this mean that Christianity is like any other religion? Answer: Dr. Newberg did not speak about the difference between religions. His expertise lies in neuro-scientific research. He himself rejected the reductionist idea of atheism that the brain activities create God. See above. It is not true that Christianity is like any other religion. Christianity is the most profound religion in the world. Christians conquered the world, not by the sword, but by imitating Christ who loved his Father and all people including his enemies. Christ is the one who taught us that God is our father, not a divine stranger. Christianity brought the highest moral values in history and shaped the entire civilization of the West. On the other hand, Eastern religions are man’s search for God while Christianity is God’s response and self-revelation to man. Islam is a Christian heresy (distorted). Although there are rays of truth in other religions, only in Christianity do we know of the true God – a God who is Love itself in the Trinity, a God who out of his love created us and not only that, but also came into history to share our humanity and suffer the most cruel death in order to make us participants in God’s own life. Not only do we have the great Tradition and the Bible, but also the sacraments based on Apostolic testimony and priesthood since the Church was founded by Christ as a perfection of the Judaic tradition. As much as Christians are privileged in the true faith, they are responsible to share this faith with non-Christians. But this does not mean that non-Christians who never knew Christ will all perish. Those who follow the dictates of their conscience and search for God, will find him since God does not wish that anyone should perish. The supremacy of conscience, affirmed in the Second Vatican Council, means that everyone must follow the dictates of his conscience, but only after he has done his best to make it well informed. The bottom line is this: Atheism will never conquer religion neither in philosophy nor in science nor in experience (phenomenology).

Fear of God

Part of my life as a child is fear. I want to always be secure lest some powerful animal or person devours me. You see this exact picture in crying children hiding behind their parents when some stranger visits the home for the first time. Psychologically, although humans are distinct from other creatures in their complex mind, they share with them the innate need for survival. Religion in general responds to this fear by promising an eternal life of happiness. In an atheistic world, religion will still survive if only because of this. The crusading atheist and evolutionary biologist Richard Dawkins recognized that religion continues to be a major force. And so did the atheist philosopher Daniel Dennett. Daniel Dennett in an interview with Robert Wright acknowledged that he cannot prove that God does not exist. The renowned 17th century philosopher Blaise Pascal wrote in his Thoughts that it is better to live a virtuous life in this world since if God exists you will be rewarded in the next, and if He does not exist, you lose nothing. But if he exists and you lived a life of sin, you will find yourself in hell. This is an extraordinary insight that brings us to the discussion about God. According to some anthropologists, the very early tribes of humans in some native Indian cultures believed in the "Sky god." In ancient civilizations, Egyptian as well as Mesopotamian and Greek, people believed in God or gods according to their needs. There, based on archeological work, we find polytheist religions in multiple cultures. The basis of worship is fear and security - Fear of natural disasters and protection. Prayers are found directed to the Sun god to provide for agriculture and life. In the Aztic cultute, prayers were directed to Tlaloc the god for rain and fertility. Hindus in India developed their pantheist religions which, taken literally, mean that the universe is God. There were gods and higher gods, each with his or her role. The entire religious systems were ultimately based on survival of the tribe/culture. Better illustrated in the ancient Egyptian cults the pharoes, kings of Egypt, were buried in mummies with food and water in order to feed them in the next life. Sacrifice developed as an act of thanksgiving but also to avoid the vengeance of the gods. Abraham, the father of monotheism, is depicted in the Old Testament to have had a message from God. He lived in Ur (today in Iraq) but God revealed to him that he should go to Canaan and settle there. The detailed story of the father of Jews and Arabs alike shows that he was obedient and full of faith. God blessed him and promised him that his offspring will be of great number. In the Biblical tradition there is a development in the belief in one God (Yahweh). As much as the Bible is considered inspired by Christians, it is not dictated. The tradition of Israel developed over 2000 years. The books of the Old Testament were written over a period of some 1000 years. Contemporary Biblical scholars think that some of the stories were edited to reflect the understanding of the Hebrews that there is one God. The Old Covenant between God and Israel represented a special relationship in which God would protect and save Israel while Israel would worship God alone and abide by His commandments revealed to Moses. Many of these commandments are prhobitions for the survival of the community. Again, the key is survival. In Judaism, the image of God slowly but surely develops from an all-powerful One to a compassionate One. This is evident in the Psalms and Isaiah and more so in Hosea where God is said to speak as the faithful husband of Israel while Israel is His unfaithful bride. At last God is seen as a father of his people and not only as their majestic lord. The sense of security developed from fear to trust. The eventual coming of Christ was the epitome of God's self revelation. As Christians, we know we have seen God in Christ, not only the majestic divine, but also the suffering God whose love to his creatures made him dwell among us, suffer with us and die for us. In Christ, God made a new Covenant - a covenant of love. Fear is still there but now we can call God the Father our father as Christ taught us. Now we know that God's essense is love: The eternal love of the Father and the Son whose binding power is the Holy Spirit. The need for survival is now the need to be with Christ our saviour and God. St. Athanasius said "God became man so that man may become divine." I am not sure I learned it yet but the Church will teach me!

Christmas Wish?

I watched them twice in two days and since then they never left my memory. I am speaking about a little known band of the "Christmas Wish" missionaries that performed at Jesus the King Church. They are young adults in their 20s. Their mission, as I understand it, is to play and sing Christmas carols to people in homeless shelter houses, orphanages, senior homes, churches, public places, and every other corner of the city. They are not particularly professional but they impressed almost everyone who watched them in the Church with their joy radiating from their little faces. Their leader claims to have received a mission from God. Michael is from Australia. He toured many countries performing his mission! His team that I saw is made up of adult girls and boys that live here yet they belong to the world from Japan to Brazil. I wondered how they survive unless they do it as a hobby on the side, but my wonder grew to admiration of those dancers/singers who can attract so many people only because they smile in spite of hardship. Which brings me to the claim that the world is falling away into sin. Yes, there is ample sin in the world. I particularly experience hardship these days at work and with it a cross I hope I will endure. And who lacks a cross? Many of my relatives and friends are experiencing hardship in many ways - some have lost their jobs, others their spouses through divorce, others are seeking to marry but unable to find their future spouses, families are suffering, others are lonely and yet others are sick mentally or bodily. Today I was told that a young girl in grade 10 has been diagnosed with leukemia. And in the dilemma of experiencing evil, it is pervasive in the entire world - My pride is one of them...The dilemma is multiplied by the fact that almost every man and woman born in this world have a wounded nature and selfish tendency. I see structures of hypocricy, political correctness, manners without value, society without dignity, and corporate slavery to the boss who is a god to his enslaved employees or subjects. This is why I experience our need of God's mercy. It is not on earth although it can start here if man risks his pride and "falls in love." It is all about fear for the self. We must hope for the blessed life in heaven for all those who open their hearts to God and repent. Against all thoughts that promote the idea of a just God, I believe that God is all merciful; his justice is only a reflection of his love, and has no sense of revenge as we do. When the Lord in the Bible says "Revenge is (reserved) to me," he, as a father, disciplines his children to grow and mature but never does he revenge. The revenge intended in the Bible is a disciplinary act and not a destructive act of a vengeful God. I also experience the need for each other, to pray for each other and think of each other in the Holy Spirit, the love which the Church calls the communion of saints. The communion of saints, as far as I understand it, includes the love expressed in prayers of saints in heaven, those of souls in purgatory, and prayers of the Church on earth. This continues till the end of the world. The Blessed Virgin Mary, and all the angels and saints are praying God in heaven, and to their prayers are added those of souls in purgatory, and those on earth especially the Eucharistic prayer in every Mass in which calvary is re-presented through the offering of Christ himself. That is why Paul the great apostle was able to say that he completes what is lacking in the sufferings of Christ. The result if truly lived is the joy experienced in this "Christmas Wish" missionary band. The incarnation of God in Christ was nothing short of a new world - a new song of joy. In spite of being born silently in a manger, Christ was sought by Herod for fear that he will be overthrown. The king was fearful and in his vengeance he killed those children as we kill the unborn today. Yet Christ did not overthrow Herod. He escaped from the tyrant to give him a chance. And the chance is still available to us. The entire story of Christmas is here again. The invitation is open. God is with us. But would we risk our habits of indulging into every party and spending to remember the angelic hymn? Let's forget ourselves for a few days, listen to God's voice and shout: Joy to the world!