“Honey and Vinegar”

       Novice Louie

Fr. Romolo left us with profound lessons on Christology, commentary on some Psalms and the characteristics of our Founder, St. Gaspar Bertoni. 17 days living with him is a continual recollection for me. Through his talks and of course his humble presence gave me a vividly vision on the way of life that I will embrace soon if granted that is Stigmatine religious life.

These two substances “honey and vinegar” came from the Fr. Romolo’s mouth when he shared to us.  He said that a drop of honey is better than a spoon of vinegar. It is true because honey is sweet which is of course tasty even if we eat it without bread or anything. But we find distasteful the vinegar if eaten purely because its characteristic is sour. We cannot enjoy eating it purely.

I would like to borrow these- honey and vinegar for my reflection on the class of Fr. Romolo. Jesus is the honey and the vinegar is our world that is centered in selfishness.

Jesus Christ’s temptation in the Gospel of Mark and the more detailed one is the Gospel of Matthew 4: 1-11. Jesus was tempted by Satan in the dessert with these three things which are also the very common hunger of man. The first temptation was turning the stone into bread.  Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ (Matthew 4:4). Second temptation ispopularity or fame. The third temptation is power. Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only (Matthew 4:10).

These things power, materialism and fame are all centered on selfishness. These make the world bitter like of the vinegar. We cannot really take this world with one sided view alone that is purely pleasure. If this is how we look at life in the world then we surely feel the sourness of life. Why? Because people will be against each other in terms of popularity, power and materialism. There will be no unity if each of us has self-centered reason in living our life here on earth.

So, the Father in heaven sent Jesus Christ into our world to destroy this self-centered mentality and to guide us to the truth. Jesus lived with the poor and emerged with them. He was accused by the Pharisees and scribe for this act. But Jesus exclaimed, “Good people does not need a doctor, sick people do.”  The Gospel of John revealed how Jesus showed His compassion and mercy to the adulterous woman whom was about to be stoned to death. But He exclaimed, “let the man among you who has no sin to cast a stone at her” (John 8:7). Another is the parable of the prodigal son. The Father welcomed him dearly and gave him a party for his son was dead and now was back to life. The summit of the life of Jesus that teaches about great mercy and compassion was His triumph on the cross where He said, “Father forgive them for they did not know what they are doing.”

Through this act of love of Jesus, the door of heaven was opened again for the whole human race. Jesus fulfilled as the new Adam the salvific plan of His Father in heaven. People have great chance to receive eternal life because of this act of unconditional love through the death of Jesus; our relationship with God has been restored.

The way Jesus lived is like a honey. He showed sweet and tender character to the sinner and to the handicap that were considered a sinner. Even if Jesus received some harsh words from the Pharisees and the Scribes but He continue doing the things that were essential for the sake of the salvific plan of God to save us from the doomed of sin.

That is why many people followed Him. Where ever Jesus goes people flocked together with him. But sad thing to know only few of them has a right intention of following Him. Some followed Him because of physical healing alone. But Jesus did not come for this outside incapabilities but being crippled within our souls.

Knowing Jesus with only for the sake of our selfish reason is useless. In long run we will surely feel tired of following Him. Fr. Romolo said “knowledge of Jesus should not only remain in our mind but should reach in our heart and in our hands.” The total knowledge of Jesus should bring us to love Him more by loving our self and of our neighbor as Fr. Romolo shared to us “if love does not reach to the point of willing to sacrifice for the sake of God is not yet a true love.”

To look and study the life of Jesus is indeed like a honey. But to live and apply the teachings of Jesus into our life is like vinegar once we do not understand the purpose of our life. We come to know our purpose of life in this earth by knowing Jesus. And to know Jesus is to live in accordance with His life which is to go against the current of our time as Pope Francis said.