Reflections for the Working Soul

Gospel: John 17: 20-26

“I made known to them your name and I will make it known, that the love with which you loved me may be in them and I in them.”

A taste of heaven

By Bishop Precioso D. Cantillas, SDB, DD

JESUS LOVED His Father so much that He wants that the Father be loved by everyone who would love Him too. Love seeks union with the beloved. Such oneness is not merely in words or in thoughts but also in concrete deeds and actions. Jesus became human in order to show the reality of the Father. Pope Francis reminds humanity that Jesus Christ is the image of God, who is mercy and compassion. Seeing and knowing Jesus is seeing and knowing God, the Father. Making Jesus and the Father alive in the hearts, minds and lives of everyone here on earth makes the world heaven. Who does not want to be happy and live in a paradise?

It is clear then that what the human person and society need is a conscious awareness of the presence of the Risen Lord, His Spirit and the Father. This is the God, the Blessed Trinity, whom the Catholic faith strongly upholds. Based on this faith, the daily life and work of a human being, could be lived in union with this great Divine Unity. The human worker could do his tasks consciously and lovingly offering them in love and for love of this Blessed Trinity. The worker does need complex qualifications like those he must submit to get a job, but, he simply needs to go deep in his heart and be humble to believe in Jesus and be one with Him through His words and sacraments. Moreover, Jesus Himself desires to be united with everyone who believes in Him. He sends His Spirit to His followers. The Spirit who dwells in the minds and hearts of the believers gives life, value and meaning to their every act and deed. By working and doing one/s daily tasks, one experiences deep union with Jesus as when he spends time specifically for his prayers and worship.

The Lord who ascended to heaven forty days after He rose from the dead, continues to dwell among us in places of worship, in work places where workers labor with Jesus alive in their minds and hearts. This should be a taste of heaven.

He prays for us all

By Teresa R. Tunay, OCDS

THE STATE of our emotions is a big factor that affects our work performance. It’s not rare that we come across a “moody boss” or a “masyadong nega” (negative) coworker; they in turn may affect the way we deal with others and our shared work in general. If we take to heart the essence of today’s gospel we will realize that Jesus wants us all to be emotionally healthy-by being one with Him and the Father in love.

More and more, the medical profession has continued to discover what our “ninuno” or great great great grandparents had known all along: that prayer makes for a longer, more satisfying life. Recently, Crystal Park, a doctor of psychology and professor at the University of Connecticut in Storrs, revealed in her study on the impact of prayer on emotional health that “people who pray often and are active with their faith communities might be making generally healthier decisions, such as taking fewer risks or avoiding smoking and drinking… That peace, that sense of meaning and connection that happens with prayer is what is positive. Those kinds of things have physiological effects on the body, such as calming your cardiovascular system and reducing your stress.” A regular spiritual practice, Dr. Park went on to say, “can improve and protect your emotional health, as it connects you to a greater power or truth, gives you a sense of purpose and meaning beyond your day-to-day life. Involvement in a community of like people provides social support and lifts your spirit. Religion, regular church attendance, and prayer also provides a framework for dealing with the unexpected or negative events.”

That which psychology is trying to prove, the faithful already know. Our constant connection with God changes and heals us. What can be more assuring for our emotional health than knowing that the Great Healer Himself prays that the Father may love us all as He has loved His Son, and that we may all be one: Father, Son and us in the Holy Spirit? We have but to believe, and surrender to His love.