Firstly, it’s good to be able to share our human struggles such as anger management as we journey through life not as passive observers but as human beings who search for what is true, good and beautiful. Given that it’s a journey, we will always feel that we are not there yet! Somehow, it’s always works in progress. Thus the first emphasis is not whether we got it right but how we keep this desire burning and our search honest. Where we fail, we start again.

Secondly, with respect to anger, it’s quite common that people automatically think that anger is wrong. Yet, this is not the case. What’s more important is to listen to the anger that we carry to recognise the sign it’s giving us and then identify what kind of action we need to take in order to choose what is good.

Anger from an overload of work

For example, I might be getting angry and worked up because I am too loaded, becoming tense and don’t have the energy to deal with my commitments or with the people who are closest to me. In this case, it might be necessary to check whether I could find a better balance in my daily or weekly schedule, or find some time for exercise to release the tension in a good way.

Anger from injustice

I might be getting angry because of the injustice that I see around me, or when I see someone hurting another person, or else someone is taking advantage of me and not respecting my dignity. In this case, this anger is giving me the necessary energy to address injustice and improve things. Here I would need to channel my anger into good initiatives. I need to challenge injustice without resorting to violence or taking the law into my hands.

Anger from being self-centred

Yet it could be the case that my anger arises because I think that the whole world should revolve around my needs and I’m becoming self-centred and angry when I’m not the centre of attention. In this case, I would name my anger for what it is, and find ways of diffusing it to strengthen my outward and self-giving self.

You also refer to our experience of yearning for good but find ourselves doing wrong. Beyond what was said above, I would add two things:

We are on a journey which takes time

i. Keeping in mind the idea of a journey, one of the challenges but at the same time wisdom in life, is how to deal with the process. While keeping to our struggle for what is good and just, we should do that with a sense of realism. The good seeds need a lot of cultivation before they grow and produce the desired fruit. We need to allow time for the process, both with respect to our own growth and that of others. Sometimes, when we forget God’s gentleness and mercy, we can become too harsh with ourselves and with others. Rather we should keep our ideals in focus while identifying the next good step to reach there. In this way, we avoid being overcome by discouragement and frustration or indifference and relativism.

We have our human limitations

ii. Like St Paul, we also experience our limits. “For I do not do the good I want, but the evil I do not want is what I do.” (Romans 7,19). This experience of Saint Paul is important because it gives us the right direction of seeking for what is good. It is not through our own strength on its own, not through presumption and a sense of superiority, but in humble trust in the Lord’s strength and courageous generosity on our own part. “Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (Romans 7, 24-25).

Managing Anger

Feelings such as anger are signs.  Rather than feeling guilty about them, we should:
– attend to feelings, listen to them, recognise them for what they are;
– humbly embrace them and recognise our fragility;
– recognise what they might be telling us and direct our attitude/behaviour in line with our beliefs and values.
– not get discouraged by our imperfect results, both our results and also those of others.
But rather pray to God and let God’s mercy be like a balm that heals and renews our ability to love, our ability to start again.

Updated: 1st February 2021
Catholic anger management.

Read more from Fr Jimmy Bonnici:
– Feeling Insecure – Love as the Greatest Security
– Comparing Myself to Others – How to Stop

The post Catholic Anger Management appeared first on Universe of Faith.

We have a thirst for eternity

These questions raised on whether we meet our loved ones in the afterlife illustrate the quality that human beings have of being capable of reflecting on life, death, and on the meaning of relationships. It raises a legitimate protest. We human beings instinctively sense that it would be absurd if something which is good is created only to be then destroyed. We have a thirst for eternity. But at the same time, we cannot make it happen for ourselves.

Christ was raised from the dead “in the flesh”

The Christian is called to reflect on these questions in the light of Revelation; the truth which God has chosen to share with us through Jesus Christ. Jesus, the Word of God made flesh (cf. Jn 1,14), is the one who, not only affirms relationships, but gives them a central place in his ministry. He saves by entering into life-giving relationships. Jesus calls disciples “to be with him and to be sent” (cf. Mk, 3,14).  He calls his disciples “friends” (Jn 15,15) and eats with the Pharisees and the publicans. Jesus visits Zaccheus in his house, and goes to the home of Martha, Mary, and Lazarus.

Even when evil tries to destroy completely these relations of love – “If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross” (Mt 27,40) – God remains committed to a love that seeks the good of the other at all costs. When Jesus was killed it seemed that evil had had the last word. However, he was raised from the dead “in the flesh” (cf Lk 24, 29) and met his disciples, re-establishing the relationship. Jesus greeted them with the words: “Peace be with you”. Thus, in his resurrection, he met them, not in anger or revenge but with the merciful love of God.

Saints are not lost, we address them

The fact that Jesus Christ was risen “in the flesh” is very relevant to the question being asked here – do we meet our loved ones in the afterlife?  It is in our body that we are identified as human beings with our particular character and story. Through the death and resurrection of Jesus, we are saved in our totality as human beings, with our personality. Not only does Jesus, through his life, death and resurrection, take our humanity on the right hand of the Father, but he also assures us that we are saved as human persons with our specific story.

The feast of the Assumption of Our Lady – the bodily assumption of Mary into Heaven – is the fruit of the Resurrection promised to us as well. When we celebrate the feasts of saints we do not speak of their “energy” in an abstract way. We relate to them as persons; saints who have names. We tell their stories: who they were, what they did, the relationships they formed. So these people are not gone forever. We address them directly. We believe that they are still present, there, in the afterlife.

He called us to form loving relationships that will last forever

This is what is promised to us as well through the Resurrection of Jesus. We will be saved in our body, as persons loved by God, but also as people called into the communion of the Trinity. Our relationships are what also make us in the image of God. And God is faithful. God is a God of communion who created us in his image and likeness (Gen 1, 27). He called us to form loving relationships. God constantly works for our salvation: that these relationships are purified and kept forever, including in the afterlife. We are called to respond to this call. Or, as some might say: we are called to join in the dance of the Trinity.

Read more:
– Top Pope Francis’ Quotes On Death
– Heaven Is My Home

The post Do We Meet Loved Ones in Afterlife? appeared first on Universe of Faith.

As Pope Francis said during the 2020 Easter Vigil:

“Over these weeks, we have kept repeating, ‘All will be well’, clinging to the beauty of our humanity and allowing words of encouragement to rise up from our hearts. But as the days go by and fears grow, even the boldest hope can dissipate. Jesus’ hope is different. He plants in our hearts the conviction that God is able to make everything work unto good, because even from the grave he brings life.” (Easter vigil 2020).

Where can we see signs of “Jesus’ hope”?

1. What good can come out of Nazareth? Sowing seeds of hope

Like Nathanael, it’s relatively easy to rubbish what happens in Nazareth. We are easily tempted by a “prosperity” Gospel. We think that we find the real presence of God in moments of “success”, in the places of power and control, where there’s “good” money.

Yet, during these challenging months, Jesus is opening our eyes in the same way as he did with Nathanael. Hope resides in the Nathanaels of today who are rediscovering authentic life in the midst of our Nazareths marked by Covid-19:

• those who rediscovered the value of personal relationships;
• those who realised they have neighbours and can act like neighbours;
• those who rediscovered a sense of wonder as they gave time for home-baked bread and a better rhythm of life;
• those who rediscovered the value of initiatives taken from the grassroots. For many, and for a long time, responsibility was shifted blindly onto those in power. Now many realized that they have a say, and an essential one, to reach out to those forgotten by corrupt leaders, to push for change of unjust structures, to celebrate the Lord who “scatters the proud” and “raises the humble” (cf. Luke1, 51-52);
• those who took the option of hope (rather than armchair critics): “when people decide to live no one can stop them”! (Expression of a woman after the tragic explosion in Beirut on 4th August 2020)
• those who are like the women of the dark yet Holy Saturday. “On the Sabbath they were doing something simple yet extraordinary: preparing at home the spices to anoint the body of Jesus. They did not stop loving; in the darkness of their hearts, they lit a flame of mercy. (…) How many people, in these sad days, have done and are still doing what those women did, sowing seeds of hope! With small gestures of care, affection and prayer.” (Pope Francis, 2020 Easter Vigil homily)

How can we sow the seeds of hope in our Nazareths for a future not yet known?

2. Entertainment as the opium of the people? Let us not place a stone before hope

For some time, religion was presented as the “opium of the people”. In the name of a heavenly afterlife, people were being robbed of their present. So to protect the status quo, people were prevented from improving their lot, from welcoming the Kingdom of God in the present.

In our times, entertainment had become “the new opium” robbing people from the future. We were being tempted to get lost in the present (“Enjoy the moment!”), amusing ourselves to death. Moreover, the new possibilities of communication offered by modern technology were being dominated by propaganda and fake news. This creates a fog that stops us from seeing the human face of the other and the path to a better future.

But somehow, during the pandemic, we started to challenge certain illusions. So the stone that seemed impossible to move, started to shake.

• Very often we were dominated by the commandment to “be positive”. However, this made us blind to the grave injustices of our time and mute before those abusing of power. With Covid-19, not only did we fear “testing positive”, but we rediscovered the freedom to speak of our vulnerability, anxieties, challenges. We became more aware that authorities that were telling the hard truths (giving the real numbers of Covid cases, communicating the measures that need to be taken) gave us real security. Those manipulating information as part of their power games were unmasked.
• Young people – an easy target for those who get rich through selling alcohol, drugs, and entertainment – awoke to the fact that their future is compromised. They became aware that missing out on education and authentic friendships will impact not only their present but also their future. Suddenly, the future is rediscovered. The stone that was blocking the horizon is taken away.

“Let us not place a stone before hope.” (Pope Francis)

How do you imagine a better future? How can you contribute to make it happen?

3. “We are not in the same boat. We are in the same storm”. May we bring the song of life.

In a discussion organized by the Taizé community, young people had to give their reaction to the pandemic. Their insights are an eye-opener! One of the young people said: “We feel frustrated. Politicians and other leaders are telling us to ‘be responsible’, to ‘stay inside’, to care for the elderly and other vulnerable persons. This we understand. But a few months ago we were protesting, asking for concrete action to address climate change. If not, the impact on us – younger generations – will be disastrous. We feel frustrated because we saw no sign of solidarity back then”.

Another said: “We are not on the same boat. We are in the same storm”. The pandemic has illustrated in a clearer way than before

• the huge inequalities caused by the current economic system,
• the need for real solidarity between generations and between countries,
• that we do not stand above creation but we are part of it: we need to care for it as much as we live by what we receive from it.

The truth of our interconnectedness is clearer now than before the pandemic. Yet it feels very frustrating and dark when we find ourselves facing a system built on individualism and slavery to the god of consumption. Yet, hope lies with people who recognise all this but do not stop there. They commit themselves to influence processes through concrete gestures.

“How beautiful it is to be Christians who offer consolation, who bear the burdens of others and who offer encouragement: messengers of life in a time of death! In every Galilee, in every area of the human family to which we all belong and which is part of us – for we are all brothers and sisters – may we bring the song of life!” (Pope Francis, Easter Vigil 2020)

What are the concrete gestures that can bring greater equality, solidarity and care for creation?

Let us not be robbed of our hope!

The Covid-19 pandemic has been compared to a storm that threatens to destroy us. In addition, with so many unknowns and insecurities to face, fear and anxiety can block us. So we can either let ourselves be carried away or choose hope. Not any kind of hope but Jesus’ hope. There we recognise a hope that opens to a sure future while empowering us to act in the present. This is what Charles de Foucauld expressed in a letter to the Poor Clares (transferred from Nazareth to Malta) in the midst of the First World War:

“We are living days where our soul experiences a strong need for prayer. In the storm that is raging across Europe, we recognize the nothingness of creatures and we turn to the Creator. In the boat tossed by the waves, one turns to the divine Master, and one begs the One who with a word can give victory and long lasting calm. We stretch our arms towards heaven like Moses during the battle of his own people, and where man can do so little, we pray to Him who can do everything.”

(Letter to Mother Saint-Joseph,  Tamanrasset, 28 November 1916)

This article was originally written for the International Bulletin of the Lay Fraternity Charles de Foucauld (No. 103, 2020). It is being published online on Universe of Faith for the first time.

Read more:
– Corona Virus Poem – Doing Things Differently
– Top Pope Francis Prison Quotes

The post Let Us Be Surprised by Hope During COVID-19! appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Ecological Conversion Definition 

The word ‘ecological’ comes from the noun ‘ecology’ which means the branch of biology dealing with the relations and interactions between organisms and their environment. Whilst the word ‘conversion’ comes from the Anglo-French word, ‘conversio’ which means a complete change.

Thus, ‘Ecological Conversion’ implies a change in how we look at, interact and behave, to care for our common home. It means changes in the choices that we make in our daily life, that have an effect on the environment as a whole;  on other living organisms, including people. It is a change for the betterment or improvement of all creation and its creatures. A person who has ecologically converted acts like a human being in the image of God where s/he seeks to live in harmony with nature (including people); a steward rather than someone who dominates.

Ecological conversion in the Catholic perspective usually includes:

1. A sense of gratitude and gratuitousness (cf. Care for Our Common Home 220)

Through the Catholic faith one becomes open to a sense of thankfulness and wonder as one recognises “that the world is God’s loving gift, and that we are called quietly to imitate his generosity in self-sacrifice and good works,” even when no one is looking.
What are you thankful for? What do you wish to give in return?

2. Awareness that I am also part of the book of Creation (cf. Care for Our Common Home 220)

“It also entails a loving awareness that we are not disconnected from the rest of creatures, but joined in a splendid universal communion. As believers, we do not look at the world from without but from within, conscious of the bonds with which the Father has linked us to all beings. By developing our individual, God-given capacities, an ecological conversion can inspire us to greater creativity and enthusiasm in resolving the world’s problems and in offering ourselves to God “as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable” (Rom 12:1).” So creation is like a word of love from God to you and you are a word of love from God to the rest of Creation.
What does God’s trust in you inspire within you? 

3. Awareness that every creature reflects something of who God is: goodness, knowledge, beauty, love, gentleness (etc.) (cf. Care for Our Common Home 221)

The Catholic perspective of ecological conversion is recognising “that each creature reflects something of God and has a message to convey to us, and the security that Christ has taken unto himself this material world and now, risen, is intimately present to each being, surrounding it with his affection and penetrating it with his light.”
Choose a creature, an insect, a flower, a fruit, a person… and contemplate on it. What does this creature tell me about God?

4. Acknowledging harmony and order in creation (cf. Care for Our Common Home 221)

Ecological conversion for the Catholic is also knowing “that God created the world, writing into it an order and a dynamism that human beings have no right to ignore. We read in the Gospel that Jesus says of the birds of the air that “not one of them is forgotten before God” (Lk 12:6). How then can we possibly mistreat them or cause them harm?”
Observe the rhythms, colours, cycles and seasons in nature. What is God’s invitation to you today?

Ecological Conversion is a particular way of looking at creation prompting a change of heart

Therefore, “Ecological Conversion” in the Catholic sense is this new way of looking at creation; a new way of living our life in deeper harmony with the people around us, with the creatures we live with and with God. It can mean choosing to have less in life but living more of life to ensure that all, including future generations, benefit equally from the Earth’s resources.

Pope Francis presents the figure of Saint Francis of Assisi as a model for this conversion: “to realise that a healthy relationship with creation is one dimension of overall personal conversion, which entails the recognition of our errors, sins, faults and failures, and leads to heartfelt repentance and desire to change. To achieve such reconciliation, we must examine our lives and acknowledge the ways in which we have harmed God’s creation through our actions and our failure to act. We need to experience a conversion, or change of heart”. (cf. Care for Our Common Home 218)

Ecological conversion definition

Read more:
– Why Care for our Common Home? – Fr Rob Galea
– Top Pope Francis’ Sustainability Quotes

The post Ecological Conversion Definition appeared first on Universe of Faith.

This Easter 2020 is being celebrated in our own homes amidst the physical and mental difficulties of COVID-19; collective trauma, grief, loss of loved ones, tensions over job losses and vigilance for safety amongst others. Despite all this, as Christians we carry the hope of Easter.

We have a hope:

by his cross we have been healed and embraced

so that nothing

and no one can separate us from

his redeeming love.

…

As we are surprised in the hidden Lord

Rising

In a new solidarity between neighbours;

In a nation that overcomes the law of the survival of the fittest

with the restraint of the young to protect the elderly and the vulnerable;

In the spreading of a good humour that overcomes hate speech

with a caring smile that raises the spirit;

through the banishing of the arrogant “anything goes” mentality

with the transparent, compassionate and professional leadership of women;

in the exposure of the evil consequences of the “grab what you can while you can”

through the gratitude for the men and women who are giving their life for us;

in the rediscovery that men and women do not live by “the virtual alone”,

but we need the real, physical gestures of love

the authentic fruit of the earth grown locally,

the faces of friends, teachers, colleagues,

the closeness of silent hand,

the marks of concrete love in the pierced hands of the risen Lord.

“Let us allow hope to be rekindled.” (Pope Francis)

The Lord is Risen.

Not virtually!

For real!

Read more:
– Top Pope Francis’ Easter Quotes
– Top Pope Francis Holy Spirit Quotes
– Choose Life: Horizons Beyond The Tomb Walls

The post Easter Message 2020 Amidst COVID-19 appeared first on Universe of Faith.

This video describes a kind of journey within your own home for Maundy Thursday 2020.  This tradition is a sort of pilgrimage to various churches correspond to each of the seven places, or “stations,” that were made by Jesus between the Last Supper in the Upper Room to His crucifixion on the cross.  It is inspired by the practice of various Christians in Malta (and other countries) who visit 7 different churches or holy places the day before Good Friday. This journey through the habitual streets enables participants to perceive the sacredness of all life. May this journey through the different rooms of your home help us to uncover the hidden treasures we carry.

We find it difficult to just “stay at home”. Journeys and homes are so intimately linked to our being human. Both. We are not made to be stagnant. Our ancestors had to move around to get their food. Then they started farming and built houses. We cherish both: we love travelling and long to “feel at home”. In the major religions we find the theme of pilgrimages and temples. “Every devout Muslim hopes to make the haj to Mecca, Jews go the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem, and Hindus go to Varanasi to bathe in the Ganges”. People journey to sacred places and return to their homes with renewed insights and assurance that their day-to-day life has a destination, purpose, value. Our life is holy.

“Sometimes I need
only to stand
wherever I am
to be blessed.”
― Mary Oliver

“ To pay attention, this is our endless and proper work.”
― Mary Oliver

“Instructions for living a life.
Pay attention.
Be astonished.
Tell about it.”
― Mary Oliver

1. At the entrance – the door

The place of welcoming, where we wait for those we love, where others wait for us. At the entrance, at the door, we open ourselves for surprises. Someone who could knock without being expected.

Once Jesus was in a house. So many people felt welcomed and joined in. A group carrying a crippled friend could not find their way through that door. The only way was through the ceiling! He was addressed with kind words. What it must have meant for him to go out of that door recognised, loved, healed.

We pray that the quality of our welcoming in this house restores the spirit of all of us and those who come here.

“Hello, sun in my face. Hello you who made the morning and spread it over the fields…Watch, now, how I start the day in happiness, in kindness.”
― Mary Oliver

2. In the kitchen

Where we prepare food. In the kitchen, we take up the bread, vegetables, ingredients prepared by others; we appreciate the hard work of the farmer, the harvester, the baker … we complete each other, we never  work alone. And when we have some time on our hands we also make our own bread.

While in the kitchen, Jesus ponders how a very small amount of leaven makes the dough rise in such a surprising way. It resonates with his outlook on life. His trust that small gestures pregnant with love, justice and truth make all the difference. That true power lies not in empty shows but in the hidden actions in families, hospitals, supermarkets …

As we cook, talk, do the homework, may we grow in trust and be nourished by what is true, beautiful, good.

“Keep some room in your heart for the unimaginable.”
― Mary Oliver

3. In the bathroom

The place where we become aware of our body in a special way … our fragility, vulnerability, greatness. Through the slow process of evolution as human beings, we came to stand on our feet, allowing our face to shine, communicate, and transmit love. That is the face you see in the mirror, that you prepare to meet the face of the other: faces calling for respect and love.

Before Jesus gave up his life for the world, he bowed down to wash the feet of his disciples. One who washes the feet of another will never harm that person. Loved in such a way, the friends of Jesus could become leaders of service not of manipulation, control, dominance.

We pray that in this bathroom we remember how we were loved and washed with dignity when we were born. May we dedicate each day to be of service for at least one person and show special care where we encouter someone in pain.

“Love yourself. Then forget it.
Then, love the world.”
― Mary Oliver

4. In the bedroom

The place of intimacy with ourselves, intimacy with our loved ones;

where we experience loneliness even in the presence of loved ones;

where we stay with our personal thoughts and dreams, projects and hopes, hurts and disappointments;

where we experience a delicate kiss, the reassuring hand, comfort of a familiar voice,

mother, father, spouse, brother, sister, guardian, friend.

The only scene where we find Jesus sleeping is during a fierce storm. He is sleeping in the part of the boat that sinks first. Woken up by his friends, he calmed the storm while asking “Why are you afraid? Have you no faith?

We pray that during the storms of life, the darkness of the night, we remember that “you will not leave us at the mercy of the storm. Tell us again ‘Do not be afraid’”. In loneliness we trust in your love. Wake us each day with renewed strength and joy of life. Revive our silent hope.

“Tell me,
what is it you plan to do
with your one
wild and precious life?”
― Mary Oliver

5. In the living room

The place of everyone. The place where we eat, chat, relax in different ways.

The place of truth.

Sometimes it’s loud: bubbling with life, sounds of games, chats, tik tok fun.

Sometimes it’s silent: there’s pain, hurt, fear, anxiety, helplessness.

When one of his friends had already planned to betray him (Judas), Jesus organises a meal, breaks the bread and shares it, loves them generously. He surprises the betrayal with faithful love.

In our living room, let us be grateful for the grace of the present time. At the end of our journey, we could be surprised to discover that our life was woven by shared moments. We pray for healing of hurts, freedom from violence, joy in our sense of belonging.

“You can have the other words – chance, luck, coincidence, serendipity.

I’ll take grace.

I don’t know what it is exactly, but I’ll take it. ”
― Mary Oliver

6. In the garage/study

The place where we study and work; where we look at the world with a creative mind-set; where we risk making mistakes and contribute for our own good, that of our family and society at large.

During his time in his father’s workshop (carpenter) Jesus learnt how to appreciate the heart of each kind of work and profession. As a good storyteller, he opens our eyes to perceive

the sense of trust in the farmer who treasures the seed in the ground,

the courage to risk in the business person who sells everything when he found a unique pearl;

the wisdom of the teacher who passes on the best insights (both past and the present).

May this place restore confidence and joy in what we do. Each one has a special , unique gift to share with the world.  What is it?

“When it’s over, I want to say: all my life
I was a bride married to amazement.
I was the bridegroom, taking the world into my arms.

When it is over, I don’t want to wonder
if I have made of my life something particular, and real.
I don’t want to find myself sighing and frightened,
or full of argument.

I don’t want to end up simply having visited this world.”
― Mary Oliver

 “The most regretful people on earth are those who felt the call to creative work, who felt their own creative power restive and uprising, and gave to it neither power nor time.”
― Mary Oliver

7. In the garden, balcony, at the window

The place of wonder, where we recognise we are part of creation; where we make space for plants, birds, cats and dogs, where we recognize that they are making space for us. The place where we are continually surprised by the fact that space grows when it is shared, how the whole becomes ours when we do not try to possess everything.

Contemplating creation leads Jesus to be amazed at the beauty of lilies, the promise hidden in the smallness of a mustard seed, the freedom in the wind and all those who are open to the Spirit of life rather than the rigidity of prejudice.

When we stand in the balcony, in the garden, at the window, may we breathe and embrace, feel life that has been given generously. May we be reconciled with nature, commit ourselves to care for our common home, rejoice in the newness of each day.

“Listen–are you breathing just a little, and calling it a life?”
― Mary Oliver

“I tell you this
to break your heart,
by which I mean only
that it break open and never close again
to the rest of the world.”
― Mary Oliver

This video was worked in collaboration with San Andrea School Chapliancy Team, Malta.

Read more:
– Corona Virus Poem: Doing Things Differently
– Top Pope Francis Easter Quotes

The post Maundy Thursday 2020 – Visiting 7 Holy Places in Your own Home appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Seek to be beautifully creative

“I witnessed 40 days of rain, closed inside a makeshift home. We called it an ark. And before we could go out for a walk, it took us another 40 days for the waters to subside and return back to “normal”. We were also asked to stay in, as a family. But not on our own: caring only for our own needs. We cherished all the diversity of creation. We found ways of protecting it. We could close the doors only after opening our hearts for every kind of species. In the first 40 days we realised that before we were messing things up. Firstly, we messed up with greed – following Adam and Eve’s attempt to take hold of every single tree – we ended up becoming enemies of each other and of future generations. We forgot what a blessing it is to respect limits and be creative within them. Living in the ark was an opportunity. We saw that it’s possible. So my first hope is that your first trials with a quarantine lead you to be beautifully creative not senseless hoarders.

Rediscover unity and connection

Secondly, during the quarantine we realised how we were seeing each other as enemies. After Cain killed Abel nothing stayed the same. Each of us thought we were some kind of god, the only god: everyone and everything at our service. If someone wouldn’t subscribe to our view and expectation – whether another human being, the weather, the land – we fumed. We destroyed. We felt authorised to manipulate creation and use or kill our “opponent”. Living in the ark taught us how to live together, that we belong to each other, that we need each other. We are one. Thus my second hope: during this quarantine may you rediscover unity with other human beings and connection with all of creation.

Empower diversity and learn from the “weak”

When the rain stopped and we thought it’s over, we needed another 40 days. It’s easy to get it wrong. Thirdly, following our exit from the ark, people imagined that we can achieve unity through uniformity. They wanted to build a big tower and have one language: the powerful imposing one culture from above, destroying diversity. Thankfully God preserved the different languages, the wisdom of different cultures, the richness of those whom the strong consider weak. So take care! Don’t rush before going back to “normal”! Don’t take extreme measures that will destroy freedom. Seek ways of building unity of humanity by empowering diversity and appreciating the contribution of those who appear weak. And re-discover the beauty of caring for the common good. Had we not done that within the ark, we would have destroyed each other. Had we eaten all the species, the new world would have been boring. And don’t assume that you were not heading that way. At least that’s what I learnt from my quarantine.

P.S. During the first 40 days we did try to give some advice to God on how to make a better world. But we realised that each option we presented would result in humans loosing their freedom. God was adamant on not letting go of that invention. Without it there would be no relationship, no collaboration, no trust, no solidarity, no music, no art … no life really. When we saw this, we could see the rainbow!”

Read more:
– Corona Virus Poem – Doing Things Differently
– Comparing Myself To Others – How To Stop

The post Corona Quarantine – Lessons From Noah’s Ark appeared first on Universe of Faith.

Understanding Evasive Behaviour

You’re in the midst of a difficult and unpleasant task. You take out your mobile, and before you know it, you’ve spent 20 minutes on social networks.

On another time, a painful memory comes to mind, and in that moment, you turn on the TV.

One afternoon, you feel a restlessness, a restlessness in your heart, and you decide that the best remedy is a night out with your friends.

If you had a similar experience, it is likely that you have entered the labyrinth of evasion.

The Reality Which You Intended To Leave, Comes Back

It is easy to get in the labyrinth of evasion. All that you need is a situation, a memory, or a feeling which you would like to avoid. It is an attractive labyrinth. It promises fun, entertainment, and relief, elements that we all definitely want to have in our lives. But this labyrinth is illusory. Even if you wanted to stay in it, the relief soon fades away and you find yourself still trapped in the reality you had intended to leave behind.

Seeking Distraction Is Ok In The Short Term

It is important to note that seeking distractions in difficult times is the most natural human response, and can  often be something positive for our welfare. The problem arises when, not wanting to face our reality, we constantly look for an escape. If we do not devote time and energy to address the unpleasant thing or situation that we experience, it will continue to present itself ever more intensely.

Getting Out Of The Evasion Labyrinth

1. Listen To Yourself: When You Face Your Feelings, They Lose Some Power

Overcoming this labyrinth requires some insight on our part. Instead of fleeing towards this labyrinth at the first instance of discomfort, it is necessary to stop and pay attention to our thoughts, emotions, and motivations. What is it that I feel? What am I thinking? What do I want to do? By asking these questions, we manage to name our situation, and dispel the darkness in which we might find ourselves. Sadness, pain, fear, anxiety are feelings which are easy to feel, but difficult to name or accept. But when we do accept them, that is, when we come face to face with them, they lose some of their power.

2. Introspect In Prayer

For the Christian, this process of introspection, of discernment, is never done alone. It is done with a God who looks at us with love, who knows us completely, and who wants to help us to know ourselves: A God who wants to help us face any difficulty we may encounter, get out of the labyrinth, and thus live our reality with the love that he gives us.

Jesus cried out with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come out.” The man who had died came out, his hands and feet bound with linen strips, and his face wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Unbind him, and let him go”
(John 11: 43-44)

Based on the original Spanish text written by: Ulises Covarrubias, sj
Translated by: Fr Jimmy Bonnici

Evasive behaviour

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Fear that life will steal what is important to you

Fear is like a labyrinth with many twists and turns. It has a lot of disordered paths where you can easily get lost. What is peculiar to this labyrinth is that it is populated by monsters; monsters that threaten what you value. You fear that those monsters will end up taking away the good things you appreciate; that they might take away aspects of life that are important to you, such as the presence of your loved ones, health, safety, or a job that you enjoy. Some of those monsters devour hope, when they prevent you from believing that you can achieve something that really matters to you.

Fear that something negative will happen

Another threatening fear is that something negative will happen: an accident, a failure, an unwanted diagnosis. The worst of those monsters, the most terrifying one, is the fear of losing the people you love; losing a loved one for various reasons – because they have to go, because they die, or because love has vanished and they abandon you. What agony it is to think that something like this will happen.

Repeated fears prevent you from seeing where you are going

When there is fear, it is like walking through an interior labyrinth, trying not to find those uncomfortable road companions that, like a dense fog, prevent you from seeing. Because when these monsters stick to you, they become your shadow and do not let you see where you are going. Then you lose the thread. You become unable to remember the direction, and instead of enjoying yourself along the way, you lose yourself, repeating again and again the same steps: fear of losing, fear that you have no worth, fear of failing, fear of being wrong, fear of abandonment, fear of suffering, fear …

Getting out of the labyrinth of fear:

1. Do not let your monsters grow

There is only one way out of the labyrinth of fear. Do not let those monsters grow so much as to prevent you from seeing the exit and paralyze you. You cannot make them disappear. We fear because we are aware that time is advancing, that many things change, not always in the direction we want, and above all because we care about those things.

2. Become aware that you fear because you love

You could say that we fear for something or someone because we love them. And this is good. It is good that we are not indifferent, that we care about what we are living. It is good that we care, especially, for people.

Fear is the sign that we are concerned about something; that we have a passion for what we are doing, and that we are aware of the fragility, the passage of time, the immeasurable value of many experiences and moments. That is not bad. But you have to prevent that fear from becoming a monster that paralyses you because is becomes the one that traps you in its labyrinth.

3. Try to accept that bad things happening are part of the journey

The trap of fear is to make us flee from things that are part of life. Of course, you will always experience failures. It is part of the journey. Of course, sometimes you will lose something for which you have worked so hard to achieve. It’s not the end of the world. And, above all, you may even loose – for whatever reason – people you love. Because we cannot chain ourselves to them. But would you rather not have loved?

“Do not be afraid”

I think this is what Jesus meant to say, when, again and again, he tried to tell his disciples what it means to live like Him: “Do not be afraid!”.

When evening came, Jesus said to his disciples, “Let’s go over to the other side of the lake.  They left the crowd behind. And they took him along in a boat, just as he was. There were also other boats with him.  A wild storm came up. Waves crashed over the boat. It was about to sink. Jesus was in the back, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him up. They said, “Teacher! Don’t you care if we drown?

 He got up and ordered the wind to stop. He said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still! Then the wind died down. And it was completely calm. He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Don’t you have any faith at all yet?
(Mk 4: 35-40)

Based on the original Spanish text written by: José María Rodríguez Olaizola, sj
Translated by: Fr Jimmy Bonnici

Published: August 2019

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“Feeling Insecure” Scenario

Imagine walking with your eyes covered in an area where, apart from some steady rocks, you know that there is also quicksand, sinkholes, puddles and even mines that can explode if you step on them. What fear, to go forward like this, trying to grasp at something at every step, wanting to guess if the ground will hold or if it will make you fall. Each step forward is a victory, but also the prelude to a new moment of anguish.

Now imagine that, without knowing it – because you keep walking blindly – you went beyond that terrain to a more solid one, where there are no longer any sinkholes, no puddles, no mines. Yet you do not know it. And in your blindness, you keep moving forward with the fear that the next step can trip you up. And you do not know that, if you take off the blindfold, you would discover that you have left behind the most dangerous place. Moreover, you realise that it is actually easier to detect the dangers when you trust the experience and learn from the previous journey – which is your history.

“Feeling Insecure” Meaning

Insecurity is a land where perhaps you have seen yourself as vulnerable. Maybe, on some occasion, you felt insecure because you have made a wrong move, you have stumbled or something has torn away part of you. Someone, some time, hurt you. And at some point you started to feel that, what happened before, could happen again. You start losing trust: in yourself, in the world, in those who should give support.

Insecurity is thinking that you have no worth. Or to be afraid that others will stop being there for you. Perhaps wounded memories make you aware of the fragility of some securities. Perhaps it is that you yourself do not feel worthy of being accepted, loved, valued. And that’s why you walk in fear without realising that the truth – also your truth – is much more beautiful than you often think.

How To Feel Less Insecure , “Discovering Secure Ground”

Removing the bandage is to stop looking at the glass half empty and start looking at the glass half full – or the solid ground on which you can tread without fear. That kind of ground consists of three views:

1. From above – God’s tender way of looking at you

The first is God’s way of looking with tenderness at your fragility and with confidence at the unique abilities and talents he has given you.

2. From your inside – A good look in the mirror

The second is the view you have to find is in the mirror: to look at your deepest truth, the one that allows you to understand your history, your unique beauty, your place in the world.

3. From the outside – Acknowledging those who love you through their presence

The third is the look of those who through their presence, show you their affection, their trust, those who love you.

Ultimately love is our greatest security. The one that takes us out of the insecurity labyrinth.

Then God looked over all he had made, and he saw that it was very good! (Genesis 1, 31)

Based on the original Spanish text written by: Jos Mari­a Rodriguez Olaizola sj
Translated by: Fr Jimmy Bonnici

Published: July 2019

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