Lenten Reflection: Unbroken Vow
12 Mar 2025 | Office for Mission and Identity (OMI)
Certain times of the year and certain seasons can remind us or provoke in us specific feelings and sense of things. December and Christmas are often associated with festivities, merriment, and happiness. On the other hand, Lent and the days that have it mostly come with subduedness of activity, being mellow and quiet, even sadness. And this is understandable for one celebrates a birth while the other commemorates a death.
However, this death, while possibly painful to acknowledge and even recall, brought new life. While we witness betrayal, unhealthy attachments, and the pettiness of people, we also see fidelity and conviction, repentance and forgiveness, and courage of the spirit. While suffering was a very big part of the narrative, the greater aspect was love. So, yes, we should feel sorrow during Lent for the death of the baby whose birth we behold at Christmas. But we should also allow our hearts to have a cheerful, peaceful joy that He, indeed, grew up to be our Messiah.
We may be used to broken dates, broken words, broken hearts. With Christ’s offering, we are told that our relationship with our Creator will never be broken by Him who stayed, and stays, true to being our safety, our salvation, our home. We may fail, falter, be foolish and live in folly, but He is steadfast. And so in the brokenness of this world, there remains the unbroken vow of love from God. How do you feel about that? What is your response to it? Where does it bring you?
Bawat yugto at kapanahunan ng taon ay maaaring magpaalala o pumukaw sa atin ng mga natatanging damdamin at diwa ng bagay-bagay. Karaniwang nauugnay ang Disyembre at Pasko sa mga pagdiriwang, pagsisiya, at pagkakaroon ng tuwa. Kabaligtaran nito, higit na kakabit naman ng Kuwaresma at ng mga araw nito ang pagtitimpi sa sobrang gawain, pagiging malumanay at tahimik, maging pagkalungkot. At kauna-unawa ito sapagkat ang isa ay nagdiriwang ng kapanganakan at iyong kabila naman ay gumugunita ng kamatayan.
Subalit itong kamatayan, bagaman maaaring masakit kilalanin at balikan, ay nagdulot ng bagong buhay. Samantalang nasaksihan natin ang pagtataksil, hindi mabuting mga pagkapit, at ang kababawan ng mga tao, nakita rin natin ang katapatan at paninindigan, pagsisisi at pagpapatawad, at ang lakas ng kalooban. Samantalang malaking bahagi ng kuwento ang pagdurusa, mas dakilang anyo nito ang pag-ibig. Kung kaya, oo, nararapat na makadama tayo ng hinagpis tuwing Kuwaresma para sa pagkamatay niyong sanggol na nasilayan natin ang pagsilang noong Pasko. Ngunit dapat din nating hayaan ang puso na magkaroon ng tuwa at payapang kagalakan na tunay ngang umusbong Siya bilang ating Mesiyas.
Marahil sanay tayo sa mga nasirang usapan, nasirang salita, nasirang puso. Sa paghahandog ni Kristo, sinasabi sa atin na hindi kailanman masisira ang ating ugnayan sa ating Manlilikha na nanatili at nananatiling totoo bilang ating kaligtasan, katubusan at kauuwian. Maaaring tayo ay mabibigo, magdadalawang-isip, magiging hunghang at mamumuhay sa kabaliwan, subalit Siya ay matatag. At sa kawasakan nitong mundo, nandyan pa rin ang di-nawawasak na panata ng pag-ibig ng Diyos. Anong nararamdaman mo tungkol dito? Paano ka tumutugon? Saan ka dinadala nito?
#ateneoishome #aihlentenreflections
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