Offering it up

Allocutio for Curia Meeting 19 July 2009

In the course of our work, we will encounter many difficulties. They may be big and small, but there is one thing in common: we like to complain about them. It is not wrong to release some frustration or to tell your troubles to a close friend, but sometimes we end up hurting others if we are not careful with our words. And the problem is nowhere to being solved because we are just so tired. Maybe we should learn to offer up our suffering. What does it mean? We can make an act of love by saying ‘My God I offer you my suffering’. We can also tie it in with an intention. For example, for someone’s healing or conversion. We can also this during the sacred liturgy especially the Holy Mass. As the priest offers up the holy sacrifice of bread and wine, we too must raise up our hearts ‘Sursum Corda’.

What are the benefits? We can cultivate the virtues of patience, resignation to the divine will, and perseverance. It gives us a sense of peace because our suffering is made holy; it is not in vain. We also avoid harming others. When we offer up our suffering to God, we can be sure that he is also watching over us, always ready to help.

Last Sixty Three Days of NSF Life

I am entering the last sixty three days of my fulltime National Service. One journey ends and another will begin soon. I need to settle the remaining matters at work as soon as possible, or else I will not be able to leave in peace.

Yet obstacles continue to rise before my face. When one job is finished, another one pops up. Work never ends. I try to organize and plan my work by breaking them up into small bits but they seem to be ever increasing;  any form of time tabling and scheduling seems hopeless. Time is running out.

I’m beginning to think that I cannot settle everything nicely in time for my replacements. I work overtime; I forgo my nights’ out; I even delay my own book out timing, but nothing seems to be working. Maybe it is time to be the bad guy, and do what my predecessors called ‘Throwing The Shit’.

But isn’t that just taking the easy way out? I’ll just be like a thousand other NSFs who did the same thing, thus adding to our inglorious reputation for being lazy. (Shut up, I will not sign on as a regular soldier.)

Maybe I am not working efficiently enough. In this age it is often said that we should work smart, not work hard. An easy thing to say, but hard to do. For someone who is used to putting in 100% effort and yet dismayed with unfruitful results, maybe I’m too behind the times.

A friend once told me, ‘You want to do the right thing but you complain so much.’ She is right. I must finish this race well. By the grace of God, I must.

May the Lord grant us quiet night and perfect END! Amen!