Monday, 17th Week

SIN

So Moses went back to the Lord and said,”Ah, this people has indeed committed a grave sin in making a god of gold for themselves. If you would only forgive their sin!”

INTRODUCTION

Man fell into a hole. He couldn't get out because it was slippery. So he started to cry for help. Good thing a man was passing by and heard him. The man looked down at the hole. Since there was no rope or wood around, he fell flat on his stomach and extended his hand to the man in the hole. The man lost no time in grabbing the hand of the passerby. With a bit of effort, he was able to get out of the hole. Grateful for having been rescued, he invited his savior for dinner.

SIN

This story is also our story. We fell into the hole of sin. We couldn't get out by ourselves. Somebody had to come and save us. We needed a savior. And that savior was Jesus Christ.

But take note. The rescuer came but for the man to get out of the hole, he had to grab the hand of the rescuer. Jesus has come into the world. He has offered and continues to offer his hand. But until we take his hand, he can not save us.

What does it mean to take the hand of Jesus?

1. We have to be sorry. But it is not enough to be sorry because what we did was wrong. It is not enough to be sorry because our sin has hurt people. We have to be sorry because we sinned against God.
When David sinned by committing adultery with Bathsheeba and then having Uriah, the husband killed in battle, Nathan confronted him David’s immediate response was not “I have sinned against God!”

2. We have to confess our sins. Confessing our sins means owning them. It means taking responsibility for our sins. Kailangang aminin natin ang ating mga kasalanan. It means bringing them to a priest in the sacrament of reconciliation. On the evening of Easter Sunday, Jesus said, “Whose sins you forgive, they are forgiven them. Whose sins you retain, they are retained.”

3. We need to do reparation. In my ministry as a confessor, when a daughter or son confesses having sinned against his or her parent, the penance I would give is: Do something to make your mom or your dad happy. Why this penance? I use algebra to explain why. (-1) + (+ 1)= 0. That is, (-1) means you did wrong. (+1) means you do something good to make up for the wrong that you did. That way you cancel it out. In other words, you made up for the bad that you did by doing something good.

4. We need to avoid sin. When a woman caught in adultery was brought to Jesus, he saved the woman from the penalty of stoning to death. But before sending her home, Jesus told her, “From now on do not commit this sin.” We need to take steps to avoid the occasion of sin. If you realize that people you hang out with are a BI to you, you need to split with them.

CONCLUSION

But what if I commit the same sin again? A High school student once told me that he doesn't dare to go to confession again. It’s not that he doesn’t want to confess his sins. But he said that he promised God so many times to avoid his sins but he ends up doing them again. Nahihiya na siya sa Diyos.

When we sin, we separate ourselves from God. When we repent, we return to God. Which would make God happier? That we stay away? Certainly not!

No matter what we did. No matter how long we stayed away from him. God would be happiest when like the Prodigal Son, we return home to the Father.

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray….”

Lk 11:1-13

THEME

I was with a group of teachers on an educational and cultural tour in Thailand. We were at the ‘klongs’ that morning. Klongs are the canals where tourists go to buy souvenirs as well as food. The teachers were haggling with the vendors. Their principle was: your starting price for haggling is one-half the stated price. In the course of the negotiations, a vendor asked: “From the Philippines?” It seems that Filipino tourists are known for haggling in order to get a good price.

What we have in the first reading is Abraham haggling with Yahweh. He suc-ceeded in lowering the required number of good men from 50 to 10.

The first reading is usually chosen because it is related to the Gospel. Where is the point of contact? “I tell you, if he does not get up to give the visitor the loaves because of their friendship, he will get up to give him whatever he needs because of his persistence.” The point of contact is the persistence of Abraham and the persistence of the neighbor. Both illustrate persistence and perseverance in prayer of petition which is the theme of this Sunday’s Gospel.

EXEGESIS

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray….”

I think that this disciple was so touched and inspired when he saw Jesus praying to his Father in heaven that he was moved to asked to be taught how to pray. This led to Jesus teaching us the “Our Father”.

There are two versions of this prayer. The other one is in Matthew. The version of Matthew is longer and more formal because it came to be used as a liturgical prayer. And that is why it is his version that we use at Mass. Luke’s version is shorter and that is why scholars say that Luke’s Our Father is probably closer to the original.

What is the source of our confidence that God will hear us?

What father among you would hand his son a snake when he asks for a fish? Or hand him a scorpion when he asks for an egg? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will the Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him?

Matthew’s version if probably the original: “If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.”

Father

The Aramaic is ‘Abba’. And abba is how you call your father. In our culture it might be translated as daddy, dad, papa, pa, tay, itay and tatang.

I propose an experiment. For a whole week when you pray, instead of addressing God as God, Lord, or Father, use the term for your father. I do that. Iba ang dating. Feeling ko mas close. A word of caution. If you have a difficult relationship with your father, this might not work. But give it a try anyway.

Hallowed be your name.

In the bible the name is the person. I would paraphrase it in this way: May you (God) be given reverence.

Blasphemy is not giving God the reverence that he has a right to. I never un-derstood what blasphemy meant. And I think it is because Filipinos don’t blaspheme God. I finally understood what blasphemy meant until someone said that "xxxxx" blaspheme a lot. And he gave this example: Porco Dio! Translation: God, you’re a pig!

Your kingdom come.

The Jews avoid using the name of God. Hence, the use of the term ‘kingdom’. Kingdom should really read: Kingdom of God or reign of God. I would paraphrase this as: May all people welcome you into their hearts.

When I bless homes, offices and cars, I always remind the people that this ritual means that you are asking God to be present in your home, in your office or in your car. Then I add: “But you can not have God in your home, in your office or in your car, if you have not first of all welcomed him into your lives.”

Daily bread

“Why not monthly? Or weekly? Why daily bread” a pupil asked. His teacher answered, “Because in those days they didn’t have refrigerators yet.”

The NAB (New American Bible) says that the word used for daily could also be translated as future bread. In this case, what is being prayed for is the definitive coming of the kingdom which is often portrayed as a banquet.

It is interesting to know that early Christian literature interprets the daily bread as the Eucharist.

Forgive us our sins for we ourselves forgive everyone in debt to us.

Once Don (St. John) Bosco had to intervene when two boys starting fighting in the playground. He tried to make the two reconcile. One was agreeable to it. The other was not. Later he invited this boy to come with him. They passed by the chapel. They started to pray the Our Father. But when they came to the words “Forgive us our sins”, he turned to the boy and said you can’t say those words because you are unwilling to forgive your schoolmate.

And do not subject us to the final test.

The NAB says: Jewish apocalyptic writings speak of a period of severe trial before the end of the age (end of the world), sometimes called the "messianic woes." This petition asks that the disciples be spared that final test.

TWO OBSERVATIONS

First observation. The first part of the Our Father is regarding God. The second part is regarding us.

Second observation. What pertains to God is shorter than what pertains to us. What pertains to God is in one verse while what pertains to us is in two verses.

The same observations can be said about the Ten Commandments. The first part is for God and consists of three commandments. The second part is for man and consists of seven commandments.

CONCLUSION

Let me end by going back to the First Reading and getting some lesson from that, too.
In those days, the LORD said: “The outcry against Sodom and Gomorrah is so great, and their sin so grave, that I must go down and see whether or not their actions fully correspond to the cry against them that comes to me. I mean to find out.”

What is the important lesson? Don’t immediately believe in hearsay. Don’t act on hearsay. Verify. Many conflicts can be avoided, if we just take the trouble of finding out first whether what was told to us is true or not.

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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

Tuesday, Week 16 (C)

Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD:
I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant;
horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.

Ex 14:21—15:1

“Then Moses and the children of Israel sang this song to the LORD: I will sing to the LORD, for he is gloriously triumphant; horse and chariot he has cast into the sea.” This song is of praise and thanksgiving. Praise and thanksgiving are one of the 4 kinds of prayer, while singing is one mode of praying.

What are the modes of praying?

The first I call body prayer. It’s either static or dynamic. Static prayer refers to maintaining a posture such as kneeling, prostration or hands raised to heaven. When I was in Korea, I saw how Koreans prostrated in prayer at the shrine of their martyrs. Dynamic body prayer can take the form of a dance or body movements accompanied by a song or instrumental music. I consider walking ever so slowly (Zen-inspired) while praying to be a dynamic body prayer.

A second mode is singing. St. Ambrose, the great bishop of Milan said that he who sings prays twice. We’re not only talking here about singing during the Mass. During my 30-day retreat I used to pray by singing “Huwag Kang Manamba” and “Pilgrim's Theme”.

A third is writing. I pray by writing my prayer in my journal. Fr. Philip Rinaldi (The cause of his canonization has been introduced.) used to pray for his inten-tions by writing them on a piece of paper and putting them under the statue of Mary, Help of Christians.

And then there is the common mode of praying: mental and oral. St. Teresa of Avila has this advice to give to those who have trouble praying mentally (medita-tion and contemplation): pray using the traditional formula prayers (Our Father) or those prayers composed by

What are the traditional kinds of prayer?

They are ACTS. Adoration, Contri-tion, Thanksgiving and Supplication.

Adoration is acknowledging God as God. This was what Job did when he prayed: “The Lord has given. The Lord has taken away. Blessed be the name of the Lord.”

Contrition is saying sorry. The act of contrition during confession is an exam-ple. The penitential rite during the Mass is another example. In our community, we pray the rosary walking up and down the corridor after washing the dishes after supper. After the Hail Holy Queen, the leader says: “Examination of Conscience.” After a few moments of silence, we pray the act of contrition.

Thanksgiving is saying thank you. Morning and evening prayers are oppor-tunities for giving thanks. In the morning we thank God for being alive. At the end of the day, we thank God for the blessings received. Perhaps we are guilty of not saying “thank you” to God often enough.

And finally, there is supplication. Supplications are petitions and requests made to God and through the intercession of those on earth, in heaven and in purgatory. I bet we don’t run out of prayer of supplication.

Why did I talk about all this?

We don’t enjoy food that is tasteless. To make food tasty we sometimes have to add spices and condiments such as pepper, or salt, or patis (fish sauce), or toyo (soy sauce), catsup and vinegar.

To enjoy our prayer, to give life to our prayer, it might help if we were to add some condiments to our prayer. The modes of praying and the kinds of prayer might do just that.

Why don’t you experiment? See what works for you. Do it today.

Buon appetito!

16th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Martha had a sister named Mary who sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.

Lk 10:38-42

EXEGESIS

Jesus entered a village.
This is probably Bethany.

Where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him. She had a sister named Mary.
Not mentioned here is their brother Lazarus whom Jesus loved dearly.

(Mary) sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak.
This is the posture of the disciple. What is unusual here is for a woman to be sitting down listening to a rabbi. This was for men. In the gospel of Luke, woman are on equal footing with men.

“Lord, do you not care that my sister has left me by myself to do the serving?"
I sense self-pity here and 'tampo' as well.

Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.
Listening to God's Word (not just his words) is the better part.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

She had a sister named Marywho sat beside the Lord at his feet listening to him speak. Martha, burdened with much serving, came to him.

We might be so taken up with life’s concerns (which are valid, by the way) that there is no time to listen neither to God nor to our loved ones. We are asked to re-structure our life so that time is given to God and to our loved ones.

Some suggestions regarding listening to God:
1. Buy a bible or even just NT for starters. I suggest the New American Bible or Today’s English Version (Good News for Modern Man). Find 10 minutes to read the bible. The 10 minutes should be at the same time every day.
2. If you have an MP3 player download a guided meditation on the Word of God from Monday to Friday. Get it from the site named: Pray as you go. Use google to get to the site.
3. If you have a PDA, you may download the text to help you reflect on the Word of God. The reflection covers the entire week, from Monday to Sunday. Get it from the site named: Sacred Space. Again, use google to get to the site.

Some suggestion regarding to listening to your loved ones.
1. The late media man (Bautista) said that once a week after supper, there is the family time when everyone can say what he wants to say or ask.
2. Stephen Covey sets aside an hour every week for a child.
3. For spouses, set a date. Your children are not welcome to that date.

Lord, do you not care.

Is it bad to complain to God? No. No. No. Complaining to God might be a sign of openness. If that is so, then complaining to God might be a sign of trust. It means you are not afraid to tell God how you feel because you know God will not take revenge on you.

St. Teresa of Avila was upset that she couldn’t get across the swollen river. She was on her way for an official visit to one of her convents. And she told God what she felt in no uncertain terms. God replied by saying that was the way he treated his friends. St. Teresa was quick to reply: “Now I understand why you have so few friends.”

However, if all you do is complain, that might be sign also that there is some-thing wrong with you.

Tell her to help me.

Sometimes we may find ourselves dictating to God what he should do. For heaven’s sake, the Lord knows what he is doing. If I were God, I would tell those who are telling me what to do: “Ano ba! Mas marunong ka pa sa akin!” (What’s wrong with you. It’s as if you know better than me.”)

There are times when we tell every body about our complaint except the person concerned. What Martha should have done is to tell Mary, “Please help me. Kulang ang katawan ko sa paghahanda ng kakanin ng ating mga bisita.” (Literally, my one body is not enough to prepare the meal for our guests.)

Mary has chosen the better part and it will not be taken from her.

Lest we misunderstand Jesus, we have to state what Jesus did not mean and what he meant.

Jesus did not mean that Martha should stop preparing the meal. This was a teaching moment. And Jesus just took advantage of that moment to highlight the importance of listening to him. And because listening to him is important, we have to give time to it.


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

15th Sunday in Ordinary Time (C)

Which of these three, in your opinion, was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”

Lk 10:25-37

EXEGESIS

What must I do to inherit eternal life?

This question was put to Jesus in order to test him. The answer was: love God and love your neighbour. But there was also another instance when Jesus was asked, “What is the greatest commandment?” And this was also meant to test Jesus. And the answer he gave was the same: love God and love your neighbor. This came to be known as the two-fold commandment of love.

Two-fold commandment of love

The first part of the commandment is taken from what is known as the Shema. “Hear, O Israel! The Lord alone is our God. You shall love….” It is found in Dt. 6:4-9. The Moslems have a similar declaration: “There is only one God and he is Allah and Mohammad is his prophet.”

What is significant with the Shema is that we are asked to love God with our heart, being, strength and mind. What does this mean? Heart, being, strength and mind constitute the whole person. We are, therefore, asked to love God with a personal love. The following are examples of personal love: the love between friends; the love between husband and wife; the love between parent and child; the love between siblings. We are called to love God in a similar fashion.

The second part is to love your neighbor as yourself. Let’s re-word it. Love your neighbor in the same way that you love yourself. Therefore, Christianity doesn’t only teach us to love others. It teaches us to love ourselves, too. In fact, the further implication is that chronologically and logically we have to love ourselves first.

And who is my neighbor?

How do we interpret this question? The scholar is asking Jesus to tell him how his fellowman should behave so he becomes a neighbor. In other words, being neighbor is the responsibility of the other and not of oneself.

By narrating the parable Jesus is telling the scholar that he got it all wrong. Being neighbor is not the responsibility of one’s fellowman. Being neighbor is one’s responsibility. That was why the question of Jesus at the end was: Who behaved as a neighbor to robbery victim? And the answer was: the one who showed him mercy.

This reminds me of a story recounted by a priest a long time ago. He said that he was riding a motorbike and he met an accident. People came to him. But to his surprise he felt someone taking his watch. That person was there not to help him but to rob him!

The Priest and the Levite

Let us not be harsh with the priest and the Levite. They did not even come near the victim. But it was not because they were heartless. The priest and the Levite were on their way to Jerusalem to serve at the Temple. If they touched the victim and he turned out to be dead, they would be unclean. Once unclean they can not serve in the Temple. They can not serve God. For them God comes first. So they have a point. They were probably acting in good faith.

However, Jesus teaches us that in these situations when a fellowman is in need of our help, our fellowman should be helped.

The Samaritan

St. Luke likes to make the Samaritan the good guy, the hero. When Jesus healed the 10 lepers, only one came back to say thank you. And he was a Samaritan. This is unusual. The expected hero and good guy would be the Jew and the Samaritan would be the bad guy. It’s like in the movies. When Americans and Russians fight, who wins? The Americans, of course. When the Filipinos and the Japanese fight in WWII? Who are the presented as the good guys. The Filipinos, of course.

Why did St. Luke present the Samaritan as the good guy when he told the parable before his fellow Jews? Perhaps it was to unsettle his hearers. He wanted to rattle them. He wanted them to think. And that is what a parable is supposed to do. Parables are not merely to entertain. They are not just to teach a lesson. They are meant to challenge and provoke the listeners. And that was what probably happened when Jesus recounted the parable before his Jewish audience.

REFLECTIONS

My homily takes its inspiration from the opening verse of the Gospel: “There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him.”

For what was the scholar of the law testing Jesus? I think that the scholar wanted to know how good a rabbi Jesus was. He would know that by the answer Jesus gives to his question. One purpose of the test is, therefore, to find out something.

The test in school is to find out how much or how little the student knows about the things he should know. The board exam for the nurses is to find out whether the nurses have sufficient knowledge with regards to the care of patients. In mechanical engineering, there is the metals testing laboratory. One instrument for example is meant to find out the tensile strength of metals, that is, how much pull a metal can withstand before it breaks.

There is one test that we all go through again and again. But we don’t see it as a test. And that test is temptation.

Temptation as test is not for God to know something about us. Because God knows everything, he doesn’t need temptation to reveal anything new about us. Temptation as test enables us to know more about ourselves. Somebody says that everyone has his price. It was said that some judges issue TRO’s for a price. In the face of a bribe, a judge can learn something about himself.

Let us not boast, however, of being untouched by corruption. I got to know someone who was working at the customs. And he said that he has not been involved in any corruption. I congratulated him. But he was honest and sincere enough to say, “Don’t congratulate me. It’s just because no one has so far offered me a bribe.” Let us not be too sure of ourselves. We might not have fallen into certain sins not because we are good and strong but because we have not been exposed yet to any temptation regarding that particular sin.

Should we seek out temptation in order to test ourselves? Of course, not. That would be pride. When we purposely seek out temptation, we are in fact setting up ourselves for a fall. A Saint once saw a hardened criminal being led to execution. His reaction was: “There go I but for the grace of God.” Another Saint at the beginning of the day would pray: “Lord, lay your hand upon me that I may not stray from your paths.”

The sensible course of action would then be to avoid the sources of temptation or what we call the “occasions of sin”. There are four sources: people, places, things and events. Bad companions or BI’s are sources. The home when nobody is around might be a source of temptation for young unmarried couples. Some schools have banned cellphones because they are a source of temptation. Concerts in schools can be occasions of sin, too. It’s not the concert itself really but places in the campus during the concert.

But temptations will come no matter how careful we are. That’s just the way it is. How do we make ourselves strong against temptation? St. John Bosco proposes a sacramental spirituality. He insisted on going to communion AND confession. He said that communion and confession are the two wings with which we fly to heaven. In my opinion, communion and confession are not primarily for the saints. I believe that Jesus gave these two sacraments primarily for us who desire to be good but find ourselves failing now and again in the face of temptations.

Let me leave you with a statement that to me is very encouraging. It goes this way. Saints are sinners who kept on trying. Saints are sinners who kept on trying. We may fall in the face of temptation. But let us not give up. Let’s stand up and keep on trying.


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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.

14th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.
Lk 10:1-12, 17-20

Graphics taken from the blog, His Time

At that time the Lord appointed seventy-two others whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit.
As John the Baptist prepared the way of Jesus, so also now the seventy-two disciples.

The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few.
The number of workers for the kingdom was not enough in Jesus’ time. It’s still not enough today. And the number of those entering the seminaries have dwindled rather than increase.

Behold, I am sending you like lambs among wolves.
With the exception of John the Apostle, all were martyred for the faith. It is no easier today in the strict Muslim countries.

Carry no money bag, no sack, no sandals.
The advice is travel light. It’s like the backpackers of today. Why travel light? Because they were itinerant preachers. They preached about the kingdom from town to town.

Greet no one along the way.
This task of preaching the kingdom of God is urgent. You can not allow your-self to be detained.

Stay in the same house and eat and drink what is offered to you,
The disciples might be tempted to look for better food and lodging and in do-ing so forget about their mission of preaching the kingdom.

The laborer deserves his payment.
Those who serve the kingdom have a right to be supported by those they serve. In the OT priests and Levites of the Temple had a share in the offerings.

Cure the sick in it and say to them, ‘The kingdom of God is at hand for you.’
It was the common belief that sickness was caused by evil spirits. Curing the sick means driving evil spirits. The presence of the kingdom is shown by the expulsion of these evil sprits.

Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you.’
When the Jews of the Diaspora (Jews dispersed outside Palestine) would return to the Promised Land, especially on pilgrimage, they would stop at the boundery, take off their sandals and shake the dust. The dust of pagan countries could not be allowed to infect the dust of the Holy Land.

By shaking the dust from their sandals, the disciples would be declaring the town on par with pagans, and excluded from the kingdom.

Introduction

I remember long ago my mother was in the family way. One evening she and dad asked me what name would I want to give my unborn sibling if she were a girl. I thought for a moment. And because I loved chocolate, I said: "Baby Ruth".

Of course she was not named Baby Ruth. Names and giving names are serious business.

In the Bible

It is the father who gives the name of a child. It is not just giving a name. Giving the name means that the father acknowledges that the child is his. By writing on the tablet "John is his name," Zechariah declared the child to be his.

But we must remember that the name John was not decided by Zechariah. It was given by God through the angel Gabriel. This means that God was setting aside John for a mission. The name Jesus too was not decided upon by Joseph and Mary. Again it was given by God through Gabriel. God was not only setting aside Jesus for a mission (Savior of the world) but was also acknowledging him as his Son. Later on God would say, “This is my beloved Son. Listen to him.”

It is also in view of a mission that a person is given a new name. Abram became Abraham. He will be the father of many nations. Simon became Peter because on this rock Jesus will build his church.

In the book of the prophet Isaiah, God says: "See I have written you on the palm of my hands." What does that mean? Several times I have witnessed people asking for the tel. no. of someone. There is a ball pen but no paper. What to do? They write on the palm of their hands. What does it mean for God to write our name on the palm of his hand? It means that God will always remember us. He will never forget us.

Names and Name-giving in our Society

There was a rumor (and this was along time ago) that Rico Puno was courting Tillie Moreno. But Tillie Moreno finally told Rico Puno that she could never marry him. "But why?" Rico Puno asked. Tillie Moreno replied with that "Don't you get it?" look: "If I marry you, how will I be called? Mrs. Tillie Puno. And before you know it, they'd be calling me Mrs. Telepono."

Names are not mere labels. They are meaninful. Martin Sheen changed his family name to Sheen to honor Archbishop Fulton Sheen. When John Paul II visited the Philippines, many parents called their baby boys John Paul in honor of the late pope.

In old orders of men and women religious, they change their name or get a second name when they make their religious profession. I think that the Benedictines do that. John would get the name of Dom Martin, for example. A change in name or getting a second name reminds the person that now he has different kind of life.

I still think that there is sense to naming a child after a Saint, not necessarily the saint on the day he or she was born. What is the significance of giving the name of a Saint to a child? There are two. The first is this. The saint becomes a role model. The second is this. The saint be-comes a protector and intercessor of the child. These are also two of the reasons why the Church proclaims a man or a woman a Saint.

Family names

You don't only have a first name. You also have family name. It identifies you as belonging to a clan.

If you belong to a clan who are doctors, you would be pressured to become a doctor yourself. That is the downside. But if you really want to become a doctor, it's so much easier for you, even just from the psychological point of view.

Sometimes a person may not want to carry his real family name and this, for a good reason. The family name of Nicholas Cage is not Cage but Copola. Francis Ford Copola is his uncle. Why did he change his family name to Cage? Because he wanted it to be said that if he succeeds as an actor, it is because he is really a good actor and not because of his uncle, Francis Ford Copola.

If you ask parents what they want to bequeath to their children, you would in-variably hear "a good education" and not surprisingly, "a good name". A good name is like a charm. If you were a Sycip, it would be easy for you to be trusted in the corporate world. For Washington Sycip is highly respected for his integrity. It is a privilege to be born a Sycip. But it is also a responsibility. You have the responsibility of making sure that Sycip continues to be identified with integrity.

We have a "family" name that we might be taking for granted. And that is "Catholic". Do you wear it as a badge of honor? Or is it just a label that you put when filling up forms?

Do you feel the responsibility of living up to the demands of being a Catholic? Or it is something not worth our attention and concern? Once it pained me to hear an owner of a fleet of taxis say that they prefer to hire drivers from a certain sect because they were honest. The owner herself felt bad about that.

Conclusion

There are three concrete things that we can do.
1. Find out who you were named after. If it is after a Saint, get to know who this Saint was. Find out his outstanding qualities and try to imitate at least one of these qualities. If it is in honor of a certain person, do the same. Find out his outstanding qualities. Imitate at least one of these.
2. You belong to a clan. It is not enough not to give a bad name to your clan. Be proactive. Do something that will bring honor to your clan.
3. You are a Catholic. By word and action, live up to your identity as a Catholic.



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The Salesians of Don Bosco is a religious congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to the welfare of the young. If you feel called by God to give your life for the good of the young, you may want help in discovering if this is really God's will for you. Please get in touch with the Vocation Director (Don Bosco North Province, Philippines) - 0917-7930112 - finvoc@yahoo.com - Bro. MON CALLO SDB.