6th Sunday of Easter - May 17, 2020

6th Sunday of Easter - May 17, 2020

Reflection

This Sunday's Gospel comes from a very profound and rich monologue of Jesus during his last meal with the disciples. The monologue focuses on one of the deepest themes in the Gospel of John - that of remaining or abiding. Just as Jesus abides in the Father, he now asks his disciples to abide in him.

To abide means to accept or act in accordance with. But the original Greek term meno, leans closer to dwelling and unity. It speaks of the privilege place of Jesus in the Father's heart - he is the Beloved and the Father is the lover. Now he extends this relationship to us.

To make this possible, he promises an advocate who will guide us towards a closer unity in the Son and the Father. The Spirit that binds the Father and the Son in love now opens himself to include the disciples.

The presence of the Spirit is easily known. A person filled with the Spirit is able to do wonders. He replicates the works of Jesus. He is exudes hope and joy. He defeats evil, sin and suffering. Our first reading demonstrates this in the works of Philip. And to confirm that Philip's works are really coming from Jesus and the Spirit, the Apostles came to the converted community and gave them the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit is an agent of unity. He unites the disciple to Christ. He unites the disciples to one another. Here we see the value of the Sacrament of Confirmation where the Christian is bound closely to the Christian community and the leadership of the Church through the power of the Spirit. In him there is one God, one Shepherd, and one Church.

What makes possible the entry of the Spirit into one's heart? It is through faith in Jesus as the Apostle Peter points out in the second reading. To sanctify the Jesus in one's heart means allowing Christ to take over one's heart totally. It is faith in Jesus that allows us to be empowered by the Spirit and gives us the grace to do wonders before all people. Continuing the line of thought from the psalms, the joy done by God from of old, has been renewed in Christ, and now is perpetuated by his disciples.

Let our prayer be this Sunday: Lord, through us filled with the Spirit, let all the earth cry out to God with joy!

Frustration in a Consumer World

It just works. That is the basis of how consumers evaluate a product. If something does not work as it is advertised then the product is considered bad. Apple products enjoy a good reputation because of its simplicity and effectivity. Other brands also work but not most of the time. But the truth is, with all the layers of technology used in devices, nothing works perfectly.

It is sometimes very frustrating when technology fails us at a time of use. There are a gazillion anecdotes of how Windows devices update themselves in the middle of use, of how printers refuse to print when documents are rushed, or when projectors don’t work in the middle of a presentation. You just want to tear your hair out at the frustration or be on the verge of smashing the tech only to restrain yourself after remembering its value.

Product design revolves around utility and ease of use. Designers, engineers, and product managers often fail at it however. When it comes to business, a product loses its art and is reduced to a commodity. Businessmen after all have already set their eyes on profit rather than the dignity of work, of the product, and of the consumer. These days we also realize that we don’t consider the dignity of the planet.

If society really values the dignity of labor and the art in production, then we would have great products that are effective, intuitive, efficient, moral, beautiful, and long-lasting. Our products however reflect the defects of society. I guess we make from who we are.

The 15:17 to Paris

Title: The 15:17 to Paris

Category: Based on a true story, Heroism

Parental Guide: Violence

The world is divided into those who believe that each one of us has a mission and purpose to accomplish in life and those who believe that life has no meaning and so you have to give it one. This film unabashedly belongs to the former when its main character talked of being “catapulted” into something higher.

Undergoing the many battles of life, Spencer had to struggle with the direction of his life. He had a dream that turned out be unreachable and he was forced to settle for “less”. Finding comfort in the company of his friends, they toured Europe with tentative plans until fate had them its crosshairs. What he spoke of as a catapulting found him facing a great threat that meant life or death.

The movie reminds us that we are all stories. We are ordinary stories in ordinary lives. Sometimes, however, life surprises us in the midst of our monotony, and challenges us to step up to something bigger than ourselves. We, from time to time, are called to become heroes. The three friends did not expect to find themselves in a dire situation in what could have been a pleasant vacation. Yet, they risked their lives to avert a disaster. Sometimes, it is the ordinary people who are called to be heroes.

Ordinary people have ordinary problems. Like them we search for meaning in life. As children we have dreams for our futures. Life is unfair so it smashes those dreams from time to time. We try our best to recover from the beatings and hold on to a hope that we are meant for something, that our birth has meaning. Those moments can be a drag. We feel blind as we reach out to find a sense of orientation. Such is the mystery of crises and failures.

Episodes of difficulty and struggle shape us to become a better version of who we are. It could happen through the daily grind. It may happen in serendipitously. We can cower in fear and hide in our comfort zones or we can step up and face it head on. Perhaps, life’s purpose is to force us to evolve through struggle. And maybe, we are really meant to become heroes.

What I like about it:

• A great motivational sequence inside the film
• Human portrayal of the protagonists, easy-to-relate characters