Stewardship on ‘010112’

JUST typing the slug line to this column gave me the chills: Rina0101—another day, another start to a brand-new year. You’d think, as you grew older, that the passage of years would be unremarkable, that each year blends and melts into the next, and that time would simply flow like a river, each day a ripple that meets other ripples and builds into waves that pass into portions both rapid and calm, creating a great waterway.

But it doesn’t quite end up that way. Every time a new year rounds the corner, a frisson of excitement builds up, despite experience and memory telling you that a year is what you make of it. Still, the thrill of the unknown beckons, tantalizing you with countless what ifs. What if the coming year does bring the promise of prosperity long longed-for and desired? What if the future harbors gifts that could change our life, or send it in an entirely unexpected direction? What if we find the one defining vocation, the long dreamed-of job that would meet all our expectations of fulfillment, worthy remuneration and professional recognition?

Of course, the obverse is true, too. The New Year could usher in changes that are as unwelcome as they are unexpected. Natural calamities could give you a nasty wake-up call, as they have been doing with dismaying frequency in recent years. Markets could crash, political systems could spin out into chaos and war, you could undergo turmoil in both personal and social life. Life is full of the unexpected, the shocking, the truly tragic.

So on this first day of 2012, you face a temporary crossroads. But whichever road you choose, events will play out without your knowledge or willingness.

The only thing you have power over is your attitude. You can approach the next 365 days with trepidation and fear. Or you can choose to be happy—not to wake up each day with a stupid Pollyanna grin on your face, but rather to resolve to find the brighter side of every situation, to, as the song goes, cross over to the sunny side of the street.

This is what “010112” lays before you: the power to choose between surrender or serendipity, to bear all with the steadfastness of a martyr, or discover the joys that lie hidden in every incident, every person, every opportunity you meet in the coming year.

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MY friend Peachy Yamsuan gave us her friends a choice over the weekend: gifts for the body (her justifiably famous lumpiang togue) or gifts for the spirit, consisting of Marian calendars from the Archdiocese of Manila, a yearly planner for priests and a book by Archbishop Socrates Villegas of the Archdiocese of Lingayen-Dagupan. Being the host of our “Sisterhood” get-together, I ended up with both kinds of gifts, a bright harbinger for the year ahead!

Bishop Soc’s book, titled “Stewards of Jesus” (ALD Publications) is a collection of essays on the common theme of “stewardship.” Like the rest of best-selling books, “Stewards of Jesus” is chock-full of insights while being both down-to-earth and sublime.

This excerpt from Bishop Soc’s latest speaks of what stewardship means in essence. Given the disasters that marred the year past, we would do well to heed its call for responsible stewardship of our earth, our environment, of our neighbors, of our society. Happy New Year dear readers!

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WHEN sensitivity does not motivate us to action then it can only bring hurt and depression. This tells us that the twin of sensitivity should be service. Oftentimes our fear of not having our share pushes us to outsmart one another. Some management styles even cultivate this kind of attitude in the belief that one who is threatened with deprivation would double his performance.

We don’t care about others as long as we’re happy. Unfortunately this thinking has invaded our culture. We can see this in how people behave in church. When people enter the church most would always choose the end seat (so that it is more convenient to exit), never mind that others who come after them would practically have to do the “tinikling” to get to the empty spaces. Another typical example is when we observe that our church is dirty. We complain to the priest about it, even request to have it announced, but we don’t do anything to help clean the church.

When we see somebody suffering, are we moved to help, or do we shrug our shoulders, “deadma” as the colloquialism goes, in other words, “walang pakiramdam”? This attitude reminds me of the monkey, who couldn’t let go despite the risk of being caught, of being hurt. It is easy to catch a monkey, just put a banana inside a coconut fruit with a hole just big enough for a monkey to insert its hand. In its desire to get the banana, the monkey inserts and thus gets its hand stuck in the coconut. As long as it holds the banana, the monkey is happy. People are like that; they won’t let go of what they’ve grabbed but in the process also lose the blessings of God because they don’t have the open hands to receive them. Mahatma Gandhi says: “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others.”

Stewardship is a culture of abundance. We forget ourselves for others. Time, Talent, Treasure are like salt water that makes one more thirsty. To quench our thirst, we need pure water. If we want to practice stewardship we should ask ourselves: “If I won’t give what will happen to me? And consequently, what will happen to the other, to my fellow human being?”

A good steward is sensitive to the needs of others and does something about it. God gives all of us the grace of compassion and charity. We will be good stewards if we apply God’s grace to serve others.

“For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.” (Mk 10:45)