FOR ALMOST a month now since I started meditating on my spiritual gifts—this is the fourth week of this PSN Lenten Retreat series, if you cared to notice—I have joyfully reflected on my 50 years of life on this planet.
I am glad to have made this spiritual journey.
And I hope, my dear readers, that you have joined me religiously in my meditations.
Because what glorious treasures were revealed to us in the first seven parts of this series.
I mean, I’ve always known them.
But this is really the first time that I have articulated them for you.
And for myself.
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Now, when you spend 28 days in a retreat from the busy world, and live contemplating on the supernatural gifts that you have been bestowed, you cannot help but just fall on your knees, and be grateful.
Sure, you feel that you are loved, and forgiven.
But also, you feel calm, and peaceful.
And resting content, and secure, in the loving arms of God.
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As you continue with the Holy Week, and as you celebrate the Paschal Triduum (a.k.a. Easter Triduum), I pray that you will learn to appreciate more my God who celebrates your love for yourself and others, more than remembers all the petty sins that you have committed.
All your sins cannot be greater than the Love, and forgiveness, of my God.
And all your pretend holiness, your superficial fasting, your photo-op churchgoing are all the same sh*t, if you don’t have selfless love in your heart.
So, don’t beat yourself over for things that you do not understand.
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Pray for these:
That you will learn to truly love more than your sorry self.
That you learn to unburden yourself with the unnecessary hurts that you carry.
That you begin to forgive those cheating bastards you have loved with all your might.
That you learn how to be lonely.
And to be lovely even when you are lonely.
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Pray that you will see God.
And see God with your stupid mind truly opened.
See God with your heart.
See how God loves you as God has loved me although the world sees me now as irreverent, arrogant, and sometimes, egotistical, freak.
Seek the God that does not have a human mind.
A God that is greater than what the human mind can conceive.
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Pray for Fortitude, fortitudo.
That you may endure criticisms, challenges, and ridicule.
Especially if you begin to embrace my God who can look past your transgressions.
Who has the capacity to overlook your sins.
Because this God loves you so much.
Pray for fortitude that you may do God’s work of loving, and forgiving, other people who cannot love, and forgive, themselves.
Pray for fortitude that you may survive this perverted world that celebrates sins, errors, and mistakes; and conveniently forgets that God is Love.
That God only wants Love.
That God wants to love you.
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Pray for scientia, consilium, intellectus, and sapientia.
Pray for the wisdom, and understanding, in what Love, and forgiveness, that I have been writing about these past four weeks.
Pray for divine illumination that your stubborn mind may see the blinding light of truth beyond my words.
Pray that your heart will understand my gospel of Love, and forgiveness.
Pray that your soul will assent to the Truth of Love.
God’s Love that is greater than anything that you can ever imagine.
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Pray for pietas, and timor Domini.
As you reflect on the paschal mystery of Jesus, may you learn true faith, and the fear/love/awe of the Lord.
May you appreciate what God has already done for you.
To save you from yourself, and your sins.
May your faith lead you to understand that you have been delivered.
And it’s been done. Once, and for all times.
That the Son of God has already saved you.
That you don’t need to perform any more heroics.
That God is not interested in your stupid martyrdom.
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I won’t be giving you an Easter meditation on Monday.
My Life as Art will be back with our regular programming.
But think of this during this Holy Week—
This week is a remembrance of what has been done to save you.
In short—and please drill this in your mind:
You. Have. Already. Been. Saved.
Nothing religious and ritualistic you do during this Holy Week will save you.
Your extra generosity, your extra kindness, your extra visita iglesia will not save you.
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For our generation, the Son of God has already risen from the dead, and has saved us from the fires of Hell.
All you need is to celebrate this Love.
God’s all-powerful love.
Sure, remember your sins, and your sinfulness.
But do not linger on them.
Remember you have been saved.
You have been loved.
And you will be the most ungrateful bastard if you cannot show some Love to yourself, and others.
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So, celebrate Life.
Love.
Make love.
Spread love.
Preach only love.
If forgiving yourself, and others, sounds like love to you, forgive.
If giving to the poor and needy sounds like love to you, give.
If living like Peter Solis Nery sounds like love to you, be yourself! (500tinaga@gmail.com/PN)
