Mt 1:18-24
What am I suppose to do?
This is the question that Joseph, and many of us ask of
ourselves when we are confronted with making a difficult decision in life. What am I suppose to do today, next week,
next month, or next year?
St Ignatius of
Loyola, the founder of the Jesuit Congregation, proposes three ways of
making a discernment in answering that question. What am I suppose to do?
First method is to lists down the disadvantage and advantage
why not or why yes you should do it. The
negative way, what are the factors and the conditions that prevent you from not
doing it? The positive method, what are the plus advantages and projections for
growth & development when you say yes you will do it? After putting it on a balance scale, you
finally sense the weight of the matter that will give you peace of mind when
you decide on it.
The second way is to ask the experts, counselors, mentors,
spiritual directors. In the ways of the
spirit, there are spiritual masters and directors with whom we can ask for
advise. These mentors, teachers, and
spiritual guides can clarify us as to the purpose and goals upon which our
actions are directed. Since we cannot
see all angles of reality, we need someone who will act as a mirror to clarify,
to confront us, to make us accountable and responsible for the actions that we
are about to take.
Third, when the decision is really difficult, St. Ignatius
would say: “at deathbed situations, would you do the thing you are about to do,
and face the Lord at the last judgment.”
After passing through these ways of discernment we can truly
say along with St. Joseph, that we are doing the will of God, and trying to
abide by God’s plan in our history.
Daily we make decisions.
We also have to possess the readiness and disposition to act
spontaneously at any given notice.
Readiness is virtue of Mary and Joseph to be at the service of availability
for God.
To picture it for us, here is a story: Chin Lin has a small
restaurant. Everyday before all the customers come, she would do a short
meditation and picture all the customers coming in. Then, she would write small notes and put
them inside the fortune cookie. People would find the message or exchange it
among themselves. One particular couple, after reading through the message, ate
the message together with the cookie. In
the days when we participate in the Holy Mass, we hear the message from
Scripture and break bread with Jesus.
The Word of God and the Eucharist are our daily bread. We hear the word of God and put them into
practice, and Word makes his dwelling amongst us. Merry Christmas to all.
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