evasion
From today until Wednesday we will hear the seven woes uttered by Jesus to the scribes and Pharisees. Today we have heard the first three woes. Tomorrow we will hear another two and on Wednesday another two. All in all, seven woes.
Woe to you. In the original Greek language, which is hard to translate in English this woe is not just an expression of anger but an expression both of anger and sorrow. It is an anger that comes from a heart that has truly loved. Deep raging anger combined with deep and intense sorrow. Woe to you. I don’t know if anyone of you has experienced this.
Probably Randy has experienced this. Deep raging anger combined with deep and intense sorrow. That was the anger of Jesus towards the Pharisees and the scribes. As I have told you in the past, those who have not known deep anger has not known how it is to truly love . . . am I not correct Randy? Jesus is truly human and in his humanity he experienced how it was to love as a human person, and as a human person he has experienced the consequence of betrayed love or unresponded love or simply snubbed or as Cano would have called it – busted. Seething anger combined with deep sorrow. In this particular human emotion you simply want to shout in anger and cry at the same time. Sometimes you just don’t want to see them anymore. You lock yourself in your room or refuse to go home for a week and probably stay at the convent even if your house is just a few meters away from the convent. Then, because you have no more clothes to wear you just ask another person to go there because you cannot face them – you’re so angry . . . and yet still so in love. Am I not correct, Alex?
Woe to you. That was the feeling of Jesus. It is anger without permanently closing doors, without cutting . . . because you are still hoping, still craving, still aching for the other. It is the anger of love. It is an anger that can and still can readily forgive and embrace. Woe to you. If a person with this kind of anger tells you, I will never forgive her, I will never even mention her name, I will never, never – don’t believe him. He is too in love to do that – too in love. That is the anger of Jesus. It is an anger that refuses to give up!
What was the cause? Jesus cited seven. But for today’s gospel we only discuss three. In fact it can be summarized into one. And what is that? – Evasion. Evasion is nothing but pure dishonesty. You make a promise with the intention of evading the promise. You give your word but deep in your heart you are thinking of acting to the contrary. You say yes but deep in your heart you are already planning your escape routes. It is pure dishonesty. It is pure dishonesty because you can evade anything and everything that you said on the ground of technicality. You can evade responsibility, evade even your duty by sticking to the letter of the law and avoid what the spirit of the law clearly means you ought to do. Example and this is something very small but already a kind of evasion. Kaina naglibot ako kon bala nagakaon gid man kamo, kag iban sa inyo nagdalidali buribod sang kan-on sa inyo pinggan kag nagbutang kuno abi sang sabaw nga gamay, tapos makaon sang gamay gamay lang. Kon mamangkot ako, nakakaon ka na – sabat mo huo. Waay ka man nagbutig, Nagkaon gid man ka pero actually isa lang ka kutsara. That is evasion. You did what I wanted you to do but deep in your heart was an evil intent to deceive without lying - to deceive without really lying. Evasion. You gave your word but in reality you had conspired already an escape route. This is the very same attitude which Jesus was so angry about when he called the Pharisees hypocrites.
This can happen when you go out. Lista mo sa logbook sa Thursday, UP, tapos nagkadto ka sa UP, stayed there for five minutes pero ang tuyo mo gid man gali kay may sugataon ka sa Robinsons. Waay gid man ka nagbutig kay nagpa-UP gid man ka but deep in your heart, when you were writing the letters UP in the logbook your heart is already intent on an escape route. Evasion.
There are still others subtle evasions. Be aware of them lest you erode little by little the trust that was given to you. Be aware of them lest these little dishonesty may become a habit – evasion becomes a habit. Be careful about making promises. Beware of making justifications. They may sound reasonable but understand this: you may deceive the prefect, you may deceive the logbook, you may deceive your lex but you cannot deceive yourself nor can you deceive your conscience and God. You know very well what is in your heart. You know what you are saying with your lips and you also know what your heart intends. There are only two people who can know that – you and God.
There are other ways of evading. Here are some:
First take note what you say and what you really want or must say: For example in confession you say, I got the ball pen of my classmate – actually what you mean is you stole the ball pen of your classmate.
Watch out for the reasons you make like giving a good reason to justify bad actions: ti bahin man ini sang akon pagtubo. Or, "pari gani ga-amo man sini, ti ma-amo man ako sini. Or ang 4th year gani naga-amo man sini, ti ma amo man ako sini." Or, "ti damo man kami, indi man lang ako isa – si kwan to amo man ina, si kwan to amo man sina."
Know also that the reasoning “just once,” "total, kaisa man lang," is a very dangerous precedent.
Let your heart judge the veracity of what is in your mind. The mind can be a big liar. Listen more to what is in your heart.
Evasion can be avoided if we call a spade a spade. And formation can only happen when you call the spade a spade.
Woe to you. In the original Greek language, which is hard to translate in English this woe is not just an expression of anger but an expression both of anger and sorrow. It is an anger that comes from a heart that has truly loved. Deep raging anger combined with deep and intense sorrow. Woe to you. I don’t know if anyone of you has experienced this.
Probably Randy has experienced this. Deep raging anger combined with deep and intense sorrow. That was the anger of Jesus towards the Pharisees and the scribes. As I have told you in the past, those who have not known deep anger has not known how it is to truly love . . . am I not correct Randy? Jesus is truly human and in his humanity he experienced how it was to love as a human person, and as a human person he has experienced the consequence of betrayed love or unresponded love or simply snubbed or as Cano would have called it – busted. Seething anger combined with deep sorrow. In this particular human emotion you simply want to shout in anger and cry at the same time. Sometimes you just don’t want to see them anymore. You lock yourself in your room or refuse to go home for a week and probably stay at the convent even if your house is just a few meters away from the convent. Then, because you have no more clothes to wear you just ask another person to go there because you cannot face them – you’re so angry . . . and yet still so in love. Am I not correct, Alex?
Woe to you. That was the feeling of Jesus. It is anger without permanently closing doors, without cutting . . . because you are still hoping, still craving, still aching for the other. It is the anger of love. It is an anger that can and still can readily forgive and embrace. Woe to you. If a person with this kind of anger tells you, I will never forgive her, I will never even mention her name, I will never, never – don’t believe him. He is too in love to do that – too in love. That is the anger of Jesus. It is an anger that refuses to give up!
What was the cause? Jesus cited seven. But for today’s gospel we only discuss three. In fact it can be summarized into one. And what is that? – Evasion. Evasion is nothing but pure dishonesty. You make a promise with the intention of evading the promise. You give your word but deep in your heart you are thinking of acting to the contrary. You say yes but deep in your heart you are already planning your escape routes. It is pure dishonesty. It is pure dishonesty because you can evade anything and everything that you said on the ground of technicality. You can evade responsibility, evade even your duty by sticking to the letter of the law and avoid what the spirit of the law clearly means you ought to do. Example and this is something very small but already a kind of evasion. Kaina naglibot ako kon bala nagakaon gid man kamo, kag iban sa inyo nagdalidali buribod sang kan-on sa inyo pinggan kag nagbutang kuno abi sang sabaw nga gamay, tapos makaon sang gamay gamay lang. Kon mamangkot ako, nakakaon ka na – sabat mo huo. Waay ka man nagbutig, Nagkaon gid man ka pero actually isa lang ka kutsara. That is evasion. You did what I wanted you to do but deep in your heart was an evil intent to deceive without lying - to deceive without really lying. Evasion. You gave your word but in reality you had conspired already an escape route. This is the very same attitude which Jesus was so angry about when he called the Pharisees hypocrites.
This can happen when you go out. Lista mo sa logbook sa Thursday, UP, tapos nagkadto ka sa UP, stayed there for five minutes pero ang tuyo mo gid man gali kay may sugataon ka sa Robinsons. Waay gid man ka nagbutig kay nagpa-UP gid man ka but deep in your heart, when you were writing the letters UP in the logbook your heart is already intent on an escape route. Evasion.
There are still others subtle evasions. Be aware of them lest you erode little by little the trust that was given to you. Be aware of them lest these little dishonesty may become a habit – evasion becomes a habit. Be careful about making promises. Beware of making justifications. They may sound reasonable but understand this: you may deceive the prefect, you may deceive the logbook, you may deceive your lex but you cannot deceive yourself nor can you deceive your conscience and God. You know very well what is in your heart. You know what you are saying with your lips and you also know what your heart intends. There are only two people who can know that – you and God.
There are other ways of evading. Here are some:
First take note what you say and what you really want or must say: For example in confession you say, I got the ball pen of my classmate – actually what you mean is you stole the ball pen of your classmate.
Watch out for the reasons you make like giving a good reason to justify bad actions: ti bahin man ini sang akon pagtubo. Or, "pari gani ga-amo man sini, ti ma-amo man ako sini. Or ang 4th year gani naga-amo man sini, ti ma amo man ako sini." Or, "ti damo man kami, indi man lang ako isa – si kwan to amo man ina, si kwan to amo man sina."
Know also that the reasoning “just once,” "total, kaisa man lang," is a very dangerous precedent.
Let your heart judge the veracity of what is in your mind. The mind can be a big liar. Listen more to what is in your heart.
Evasion can be avoided if we call a spade a spade. And formation can only happen when you call the spade a spade.
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