Lenten Reflection: Hallow or Hollow?
14 Mar 2025 | Office for Mission and Identity (OMI)
It can sometimes be funny and interesting, or render a different meaning, when we wrongly spell a word even with just one letter. Being complimented as the best in a group (cream of the crop) can be diluted when we become the greatest in a group of those with poor quality (cream of the crap). As we reflect or muse about things, do our minds wonder or wander? Be careful in writing that one is looking for a lover because if that v becomes an s, we may end up with someone that we did not want at all. When we pray the ‘Our Father’, do we say and mean hallowed or hollowed?
Honoring God’s name as holy can be a profound thing to do. After all, as His created, we exercise humility before Him when we pray ‘hallowed be thy name’. But do we, indeed, glorify and bless His name through our words, choices and actions? Does He truly matter or is He a negligible presence in our life? And as we go through Lent, is it an empty experience, with Christ’s suffering on the cross meaningless and hollow for us?
One letter can change the meaning of a word. Similarly, one act or one choice can change a life path. That is what the Lord did when He decided He would be a God who’s with us and not one who’s far away from us – He changed our course from despair to hope, from darkness to light, from emptiness to meaning. And we can also make that one decision to alter our life: to abide by His love, and not set it aside. And so, may we take the leap and allow His Spirit to lead us. These days, we are reminded even more that we can have a lovely life with Him as our home or a lonely one bereft of His comforting peace.
Minsan, nakakatawa at interesante, o maaaring magbigay ng ibang kahulugan, kapag nagkamali tayo sa pagbaybay ng isang salita kahit isang titik lamang. Ang mapuri bilang pinakamagaling sa isang pangkat (cream of the crop) ay magbabago kung maging pinakamainam tayo sa isang pangkat na mababang uri ang kalidad (cream of the crap). Kapag nagninilay o nagmumuni tayo, namamangha at nagwo-wonder ba ang ating isip o naglalagalag at nagwa-wander ito? Mag-ingat sa pagsulat na naghahanap tayo ng isang lover sapagkat kapag naging s ang v, maaari nating makasama ang isang taong sablay at di natin gusto. Kapag nananalangin tayo ng ‘Our Father’, sinasambit at pinapakahulugan ba natin Siya bilang banal (hallow) o hungkag (hollow)?
Maaaring maging makabuluhan ang pagpupuri sa pangalan ng Diyos. Sapagkat bilang Kanyang mga nilikha, ipinamamalas natin ang kababaang-loob kapag dinarasal natin ang ‘hallowed be thy name’. Subalit tunay nga ba nating pinagdarangal at binabasbasan ang Kanyang pangalan sa pamamagitan ng ating mga pananalita, pagpili at pagkilos? Mahalaga ba Siya o isa lamang presensyang binabale-wala? At sa pagdaan natin sa Kuwaresma, isa ba itong hungkag na karanasan, na walang kabuluhan o katuturan para sa atin ang pagdurusa ni Kristo sa krus?
Maaaring mabago ng isang titik ang kahulugan ng isang salita. Maaari ring mabago ng isang pagkilos o pagpapasya ang isang buhay. At iyon nga ang ginawa ng Diyos nang pinili Niyang maging kapiling natin at hindi malayo sa atin – binago Niya ang ating landas mula sa pagkalumo tungo sa pag-asa, mula sa dilim tungo sa liwanag, mula sa kahungkagan tungo sa kabuluhan. At maaari rin tayong gumawa ng ganoong pagkiling upang mabago ang ating buhay: ang sundin ang Kanyang pag-ibig, at hindi ito iisantabi. Kung kaya, nawa gawin natin itong paglundag na tulutan ang Kanyang Espiritu na pamunuan tayo. Ngayong mga araw, ipinapaalala sa atin na maaari tayong magkaroon ng isang buhay na marikit (lovely) kung saan Siya ang ating tahanan o isang buhay na malungkot (lonely) na hubad sa Kanyang nakagiginhawang kapayapaan.
#ateneoishome #aihlentenreflections
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