Sacrifice for others, Jesuit priest urges faithful

MANILA, Philippines—”Whether you’re cooling your heels at home, kneeling in prayer in a church, or lolling on the beach, Holy Week invites you to reflect on your sense of “rootedness,’’ a Jesuit priest says.

“The word roots can mean many things: the beginning and end of life, the source of life, the channel of life, the blood of life,” Fr. Teodulo Gonzales, SJ, said in an interview on Tuesday. “If we lose our roots, we lose our life, our imagination, our healing.”

Much of a person’s suffering— arising from say a financial difficulty or even an external event like a flash flood— has to do with lack of rootedness, observed Gonzales, program director of the Center for Family Ministries (Cefam) at the Ateneo de Manila University.

Some people complain about the hard times, but they have money to spare for the lottery, jueteng (illegal numbers game) and even alcohol, he said.

“We have all these floods. Are we being punished? We have suffering because we do it upon ourselves. We have lost our sense of rootedness, our character,” he said in an interview late Tuesday night at the San Jose Seminary, where he serves as spiritual director, inside Ateneo.

To reclaim one’s sense of rootedness, one has to kick the “old habits,” exercise discipline and do sacrifice through some kind of “redemptive suffering,” said Gonzales, 54, who travels around the country giving retreats and seminars.

After all, the year-round call of the Gospels, and more acutely during Lent, is this: Fast from selfishness, fast from sin, fast from injustice, he said.

“To die to my selfishness. If I die to my selfishness, it’s dying to vices. If I have vices, it’s a formula for disaster,” he said. “Maybe we suffer by saying `no’ to impulses. But suffering, when it’s done for a greater purpose, is healing.’’

In other words, “it’s not Jesus who dies on the cross, but you die to your selfishness,’’ he added.

And then of course, there’s sacrifice.

“I want to buy so many things but maybe I can let go of less important things so that I can save for the education of my children. I’ll spend less time with barkada (friends) so I can have more time with my spouse. There’s suffering there but it’s redemptive,’’ Gonzales said.

“It’s almost like the Lord. What he did was he embraced suffering to give life to us. How is it redemptive? He showed what it is to say `no’ to sin but to say `yes’ to what love really means, which is commitment, which is forgiveness.’’

The Gospels tell how Jesus overcame rejection by the Jews, denial by Peter, betrayal by Judas, and desertion by the apostles during his passion and death to fulfill the will of God the Father, Gonzales said.

“No rejection, no short-sightedness, no violence can stop him from saying, `I’ll do the will of the Father. I’ll be loyal to the Good News.’ That’s roots of character. The Lord had character. He had roots. He was rooted in the love of the Father,’’ he said.

It makes sense then to make sacrifice for others, said Gonzales, author of “Agimat ni Apo,’’ an inspiring book about the positive values and virtues of Filipinos.

“Parents work to send the kids to school. That is sacrifice. Parents wake up at night to change diapers. Couples need to listen to the other. People serve the street kids. That’s sacrifice. People give a part of their salary for scholarship. That’s sacrifice. Friends stay with a friend whose parent is dying of cancer. That’s sacrifice,’’ he said.

“It’s what you sacrifice that gives life. That’s roots of character. You make a difference.’’

This Holy Week, an examination of one’s self is crucial to conversion, in much the same way the Israelites in the Old Testament had been told to gaze at the serpent of bronze mounted on a pole to be healed of the poisonous bites of serpents, Gonzales said.

“You look at it and get healed. That’s pagmamalay. You look at your old ways, so you’ll be healed. In other words, I look into my life, my old habits and make a decision if this is the kind of life I want to live. I beg to see; I need to see the light,’’ he said.

It’s only this way that one can appreciate life’s blessings, and “be a blessing for other people,’’ he added.

To reclaim rootedness, everyone needs a guide or a mentor, and doesn’t need to look far.

“We need our parents. We need saints. We need God. That’s why maybe Jesus showed us what it means to surrender to the will of love, to the will of God. Even if he suffered, he didn’t sin. It’s an ideal because he showed us the way. What’s discipline? He didn’t succumb to sin,’’ Gonzales said.

“The rest of us just have to continually purify ourselves and look at Him. Our real power or compassion comes from God in some way. If it’s left to us, sometimes we return to our old ways.’’

On Maundy Thursday, one can visit as many churches as he wants want, but that person is also “invited to visit the chapel inside us,’’ Gonzales said.

“There is an inner sanctuary, there is an inner chapel, and God is inside of me. If I can bring that sanctuary, that altar in my life, and in the life of other people, then maybe God is more present in us,’’ he said.

On Good Friday, rather than flagellating oneself or getting nailed to a cross, a Christian should listen to the pain of others. One could also listen to the Seven Last Words, but reflect on these, and apply these to everyday life, Gonzales said.

“The words are not just for good Friday, but the words are for every day of my life. Reflect on the word of God, which is `Sin no more’,’’ he said.  “What is the last word for me? Is it doubt, denial, mistrust, fear? Or is the last word trust in God?’’

On Easter, God “tells us not to be afraid anymore,” and to “continue looking for forgiveness and the greater good,” he said.