Be Not Afraid!

22 June 2008 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Jer 20, 10-13; Psalm 69; Rom 5, 12-15; Matthew 10, 26-33

Therefore do not be afraid of them. Nothing is concealed that will not be revealed, nor secret that will not be known.What I say to you in the darkness, speak in the light; what you hear whispered, proclaim on the housetops.And do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul; rather, be afraid of the one who can destroy both soul and body in Gehenna.Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge.Even all the hairs of your head are counted.So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.Everyone who acknowledges me before others I will acknowledge before my heavenly Father.But whoever denies me before others, I will deny before my heavenly Father.

It seems to me that the contemporary world of today is in dire need of security, which brings us anxiety and restlessness within. Perhaps for the seniors, some of you are worrying and anxious, if you'll be able to be pass the UPCAT or ACET or to even graduate this year. We are constantly anxious of what the future holds, so that most of you may agree and most self-help gurus will tell us: plan and take charge of your life!

The Sunday Gospel this week invites us to trust God, because He knows what we need for He made us in His own hands and because we mean so much to Him. Did He not say that He even have our hairs counted and we are far more worthy that gazillion sparrows! Mother Theresa once asked if she prays for clarity said, that it was the last thing she ask ---because she just wanted to put all her trust and faith to God. Wow.

Dear friends, today we too are invited to take courage and trust in His words of consolation. Like Blessed Mother Theresa, when we are being tossed and buffeted by the harsh winds of life; when we feel lacking of security and do not know where to go or when we do not recognize Him working in our lives, let us take comfort in His words, “Be not afraid!”

Praying with Scriptures

Scripture Meditation is a form of prayer exercise that calls one to ponder and pray from Sacred Scriptures. It involves repetition and slow pace of reading, inviting one to savor every word from the Scriptures. The method is adapted from the historical Lectio Divina, whose principles were expressed around year 220 AD from Origen. Origen emphasizes on the value of reading scripture with attention to possible levels of meaning. The method customizes the word of the scriptures to one’s daily life or situation since it asks the reader to apply it in his own life.

Suggested Exercises:

• This meditation involves preparation much like any other activity since one has to be eased into a level of silence in order to build the suitable environment for meditative reading. Try to allot a scheduled time for prayer, preferably an hour; and before the appointed time, choose the passage that you will use for the prayer period. It is helpful to choose only one passage for the prayer period. Further, choose a place where you will be free from distractions.
• To ease one into silence, it is useful to engage in awareness exercises. Awareness exercises build one’s rhythm for prayer much like a warm-up before a game. A typical ten-minute awareness exercise is enough and it begins by closing one’s eyes and being conscious of the rhythm of one’s breathing and after the breathing, being sensitive to the surrounding sounds. If your mind wanders away, just try to bring it back to the rhythm.
• The meditation proper involves four moments: the lectio (reading), meditatio (reflection), oratio (dialogue with God), and contemplation (listening to God). Following this way of proceeding, one can start by reading the chosen passage slowly and repeating it for at least three times. One should be sensitive to the words and phrases where one felt the strongest impact. Then, reflect on the meaning of those words and phrases into your life. It is important to note that Ignatian meditation is not primarily an intellectual exercise where one should do exegesis but rather a reflective one, emphasizing on personal impact of words and phrases. The final step is responding to the passage by conversing with God and listening to His responses. In Ignatian spirituality, this is called colloquy. One should not hesitate to engage with God, even if He is all-knowing. It makes a huge difference talking to God as a friend.
• The Ignatian principle of non multa sed multum (not many but much) applies very much to this prayer exercise for it is not the number of phrases or words but their impact that is most significant. One should not be anxious to go on but rather one is invited to stay and relish to those phrases or words that made a significant impact during the reading and reflecting of the passage. Stay with the words, significant feelings, or phrases even if they consumed the allotted time.
• It is helpful to keep track of our prayer experiences by keeping a prayer journal. Note down all your feelings, significant movements, and even your dialogue with God after the prayer period. You may go back to and relish them in your next prayer time.
  References:
  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lectio_divina
  http://www.prayermatter.blogspot.com/