Sincerity

ITS other names are truthfulness, veracity, frankness, honesty, even transparency can be thrown in. But I'm afraid that like some rare bird it's a virtue that is facing extinction, unless something drastic is done.

That we are now sinking in an ocean of scandals that are sprouting all over the country -- from among the politicians and public servants to military men to businessmen and even churchmen -- only indicates that sincerity is not lived.
There are, of course, a variety of circumstances but one common element in all these scandals is the absence of sincerity. Oh, boy, we almost made it as the corruption capital of the world!

And sincerity is missing because, simply put, we are not anymore having a close relationship with God. Sincerity and godliness should be like inseparable twins, but many stupidly dare to separate and divorce them.

They think they are smart and clever that way. What a cheap and crazy thing to succumb to!

Thus, what St. Augustine once said in his famous book, "Confessions," comes out again in all its intense sense of drama and irony:

"They love truth when it enlightens them, they hate truth when it accuses them. Because they do not wish to be deceived and do wish to deceive, they love truth when it reveals itself and hate it when it reveals them.

"Thus, it shall reward them as they deserve: those who do not wish to be revealed by truth, truth will unmask against their will, but it will not reveal itself to them."

I believe such wisdom can explain the sad fate of many of our public figures caught in cases like corruption, plunder, money laundering, etc.

Our country needs a purging at its roots, a recasting in its soul. Sincerity, so indispensable for integrity, has to be understood well. The challenge and task we have today is how to make sincerity attractive and learnable.

There obviously will be some skeptics among us with respect to this suggestion, but how else can we solve dishonesty and falsehood other than by promoting sincerity and truth?

No amount of sophisticated and complicated cosmetic makeover can solve our national disgrace. Imagine, our best military graduate is deported from the US for shoplifting a measly, miserable CD!

One basic thing to realize is that sincerity can only be the fruit and product of a vital, existential intimacy with God. Banish the idea that sincerity can be had by any other formula.

How crazy to think that sincerity can be a product of our human will alone! Have we not yet experienced the erratic behavior of our will unsupported by divine grace?

How many times do we have to say this: Please come back to God, please pray and put all your strength in seeking sanctity even in your most ordinary duties!

We have to engage in a lifelong ascetical struggle, for our life is warfare between good and evil. We need to pray, offer sacrifices, avail of the sacraments. We need to begin and begin again without succumbing to discouragement no matter how persistent our weaknesses may be.

Please don't cast religion aside or treat it marginally in your life. Make it your own life. Life would just be some hot air if not filled up by God.

A person who is not truly pious is a person who cannot be relied upon all the time. Of course, every one of us can fall anytime, and that is why we have to help each other to be truly pious.
The ways of the devil are endless and most tricky. They can even fake righteousness. And so we have to be on guard all the time. This absolutely necessary ingredient in our life should be first lived in the family.

That is when we can expect sincerity to be lived in the other levels of our lives here on earth.

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Christmas is spirituality humanized

MY colleagues in the spiritual writing department are busy producing homilies and inspirational pieces for Christmas. It's the season, you know.

I have read some of them and, truth to tell, I am always moved by the many fresh insights they can come out with, many of them truly catching me by surprise, giving me thrill and satisfaction in reading.

I thank God for this gift to appreciate these things. Not a few have asked me whether I still could be moved by these writings. They must be suspecting that by now I'm jaded. No, sir, and I hope, by the grace of God, never!

Truth is I always devour these essays and manage to discover gems and lights. Even the worst articles give me precious lessons. But I have a suggestion to make.

All these spiritual and inspirational pieces should try not to disparage or belittle the human simple things that go with any celebration. I believe that before we can go spiritual and mystical, we need to be human always.

We already know that Christmas is about the birth of Christ, and that it is a time for conversion and renewal, to find Christ in everything and value in suffering and poverty.

But precisely because Christmas reminds us that God the Son became man, and continues to be man forever while remaining God, there must be something good in man. Things human should not be belittled.

Our humanity is the subject of our supernatural Christian life, it is the foundation of our spiritual edifice. Let's never forget that. I think we all want to be good and holy, but we need to be human first, last and always.

So please don't take away the Christmas twinkling lights and lanterns, the artistic "belen," the Christmas trees, the gifts, caroling, and banquets. I even feel pained when they are pictured as distractions.

My experience is that they effectively lead us to the spirit of Christmas, and sustain it. They are never distractions, unless one makes them to be. As they are, they can only help us fathom the essence of Christmas.

Human as we are, we need to express our faith in things concrete and beautiful. And all the creativity and imagination involved in making those Christmas decors can only speak of the vitality of one's faith.

I remember my childhood days when I would spend hours and hours just looking at these Christmas decors and really feeling good like I had never felt before.

But I did not stop in just feeling good. My imagination took flight and went into frenzy trying to figure out how the infant Jesus was born, how the angels and shepherds greeted our Lord in all their simplicity, then the Magi, then Herod…

I came out of those experiences luxuriating in faith, hope and charity. These may sound like big, pompous words, but reflecting on those experiences now, I am convinced that they are what really came as effects.

That's why I pray that we all be allowed to express our faith in Christmas in ways that are truly free and limitless as far as our creativity, artistry and craftsmanship can produce.

Decorating for Christmas can actually make wonders in the hearts of people, especially in families. It can make them discover hidden beauty and neglected virtues.

Of course, things can be abused, and sad to say, we see these abuses aplenty. But that's another matter. Such abuses and other difficulties do not, cannot justify withholding our urge to express our faith in Christmas through beautiful decors.

Yes, we have to fight against commercialism, materialism, consumerism, but let's not allow these struggles to frustrate this objectively human need we all have in our hearts.

I can also say that when these decors are commercialized and exploited, somehow we get to know it. The spirit just is not there anymore, and things do not prosper long.

I also believe that these decors and simple human tokens of Christmas spirit truly engender and strengthen the faith of people, especially of the children and of those who still are simple in heart.

They are a far better catechesis than hours and hours of lectures and classes. They go directly to our hearts, and make our prayer a real loving conversation with our God.