Impressive?
The story is told about a man who wanted to be impressive, and said to the woman: “Ah, I’m afraid we have met before?” Wanting to be impressive as well, the woman replied: “Ah, I’m not afraid!”
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The Gospel of today (John 4: 5:15, 19-26, 39, 40-42) is about Jesus and the Samaritan woman who was on “impressive” mode at the start of her encounter with Jesus. At first, she was proud, even arrogant, but one by one Jesus broke down her defenses. From an aloof, uninterested, unimpressed stranger, she ended up an enthusiastic, zealous, and expressive disciple of the One “who told me everything I’ve ever done.” What happened? She had a personal encounter with Jesus. She had a metanoia, a conversion, a change of heart. Why? Because she opened her heart. She did not remain closed. She did not hold on to pride, rationalizations and traditions that kept her from realizing and accepting the truth. In other words, she let go, she surrendered and just allowed Jesus to take over her life. Surrender, sweet surrender is the key. So, when will you stop rationalizing and postponing, and just go right on to surrender, love, and forgive?
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Psychologists speak of three levels of interpersonal communication. The first level is that of cliché. i.e., the superficial level of talking about things, events, and happenings. The second level is the cerebral. i.e. the level of exchanging ideas, opinions, views, thoughts, and functions. The third level is that of the “gut,’’ i.e., the level of sharing hearts and hurts, feelings and dreams, visions and ambitions. Notice that on the first level, we talk. On the second level, we exchange. On the third level, we share.
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We are living in a world that is so advanced in information and communication. But also, a world filled with loneliness as never before. Where, indeed, do all the lonely people come from? Maybe it is a question of where they are coming from. If you relate from your head or from your functions, and not from your heart, you are bound to be one of the lonely people. Are you one of them—so filled with air and confidence, so overflowing with great ideas and smart talk, rewarded with financial and social successes and achievements, but so lonely, afraid, empty, hurting, and insecure deep inside? Remember, living an authentic life is not a matter of being impressive. Much of it is being expressive. Impressive ka ba? Good. But better if you become more expressive!
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Last week a young lawyer came to me for help. His marriage was on the rocks. He had taken his wife for granted because of the many needs and pressures in life. He also realized that he had forgotten his God because he made his work his almighty “god.” He was impressive. He talked well. He talked sense. But he finally became expressive when he talked from the heart. That’s when the real him came out. Husbands and wives, do you still talk from the heart? Please do, otherwise, you may soon find out that you are already standing and looking at each other “from separate shores.”
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It’s Lent again. Time to be real. Time to be true. Time to go back to basics. Time to go back to God. Time to go down from your pedestal. Time to go down on your knees in prayer. That’s where you’ll find the most real, the most true, the most basic, and most expressive you. A person at prayer is at his best. Indeed, “a world at prayer is a world at peace.”
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Many of us are so engrossed on work and functions these days. We often get too caught up on personalities and issues at hand, that we forget the “big picture.” The main personalities here are God and the enemy. There is a battle going on, the battle between good and evil. So, which side are you on? Are you an agent of the light or a perpetuator of darkness? The issue at hand is: Are you helping proclaim the Kingdom of God, or are you obstructing truth, goodness, and love?
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How many chances are we missing, how many graces are we losing just because we cannot let go of our worldly treasures and material blessings? We work so hard on our temporal agenda at the expense of our spiritual well-being. We hold on to our mundane gains, and we so easily let go, and even snub matters of the heart, matters of value, matters of the spirit. Praying for all of us to see the light, so that we do not belittle those that really matter in this life and in the hereafter.
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The proud run over people, while the humble cross over to people. Humility is the key. We must be open and ready to leave our familiar and comfortable shores and reach out into far and unfamiliar shores in our search for the truth. Jesus reminds us today that we must always be on the lookout for any possible broadening of horizons at any moment of our lives. When we stop questioning and no longer allow ourselves to be questioned by life itself, then we cease to be allies and disciples of the truth.
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One with you in prayer for peace! Our Lady of Fatima, pray for us. Please banish war and fears in our midst. Amen.
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A moment with the Lord:
Lord, help us to be less impressive and become more expressive. Amen.
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