Go Ye!

“Do nothing out of selfishness or out of vainglory; rather, humbly regard others as more important than yourselves, each looking out not for his own interests, but also for those of others.” Philippians 2:3-4

Some of the Bible stories are amazing in that men and women like Moses hear God’s instruction and obey it.  Some people, like a prominent talk show host in the US, think that if you hear God, you are mentally ill!

Just like Moses, the Irish missionary Amy Carmichael heard God tell her, “Go ye!” I suppose it was because ever since she was very young, she would say her prayers before sleeping, she would make a space for the Lord, and ask him to sit beside her. If we do that every day, talk to Jesus, for sure He will converse with us! He will tell us how to live, and how to serve others. 

On January 13, 1892, while Amy was praying, she heard the two words, “Go ye!” as clearly as if she heard her mother’s voice. Those instructions from God started her on her missionary journey that took her to India. There, wearing a sari, dyeing her skin brown with coffee, and speaking Tamil, she was unlike any other missionary. She started her own mission house, trusting God for the funds. She saved young girls from what was essentially sex trafficking sanctioned by the parents who would sacrifice the children to the temple, trusting God to keep her out of jail for kidnapping. 

Amy stayed in India for 55 years. Her retreat home for the children and women grew larger and included a school, hospital, and orphanage. Her work in South India continues to impact the lives of thousands, and it all started with Amy’s obedience to God’s Word. She certainly regarded others, even young girls, as more important than herself and looked out for their interests even if she put herself in danger. 

Lord, here I am! I long to hear Your voice! 

Come Down!

“Zaccheus, come down quickly, for today I must stay at your house," Luke 19:5

I've read this story about Zacchaeus, the tax collector, so many times and each time I picture in my head a short, funny man, a cartoon like character, with no dignity.

But the other side of Zaccheus, I never really thought about. After all, he was a real person just like Jesus is real, not a cartoon character. Zacchaeus was probably a smart man, intelligent, to get to be one of the most influential tax collectors. And because he was shunned and despised, he was probably lonely. And perhaps he had dignity of another kind. He was very rich, extremely wealthy, and his clothes would have been of the finest cloth and tailoring. 

It must have taken a lot for him to climb a tree to see Jesus. He had to shed his pride. He became like a child again. In Matthew 18:3, Jesus said, "Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like little children, you will NEVER enter the Kingdom of Heaven." 

Jesus saw Zacchaeus' heart. The eagerness, the longing to be accepted by Jesus, the willingness to give up the life he had. And so Jesus, looking up said, "I'm going to stay at your house today!" And Zacchaeus was like a little kid, unmindful of what he must have looked like, scrambling down the tree, eagerly, joyfully.

Jesus always sees that part of us, no matter how small, that longs to please Him. That part of our heart that desires to be united with the One who loves us best. And when He sees that, He invites us, "Today I want to stay at your house!" It doesn't matter what we've done before. If we clamber down from our indifference, our pride, our selfishness, in humility and determination, eagerly, joyfully, Jesus will come to stay in our heart!

Outside Ourselves

“Everyone who exalts Himself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11

How sad we see so much division in the world today. People commonly detest each other. It does not even have to be sin. It can be political or religious choices. It can be color, sexual orientation, or even where you studied. Quarrels have erupted between fraternities and murders committed. We see so much enmity on social media. 

When I see God face to face, what will He say to me? Will He applaud and commend me, “Good job! You are not a sinner like the rest of the world!” 100% no way! I may not have murdered anyone, but I have been peeved, irritated, felt entitled and angry enough to hit someone in the heat of the moment. I have no righteous garment to wear when I appear before the Father unless I borrow one from Jesus. 

Like the tax collector in Luke 18, I can repeat, “O God, be merciful to me, a sinner.” Jesus promised that one who is humble, knows he is a sinner, and repents, he will be justified. “Everyone who exalts Himself will be humbled and the one who humbles himself will be exalted.” Luke 14:11

Humility is difficult in the me generation where thousands of selfies are uploaded in Facebook and Instagram every minute. We are told in different ways, “Create your dream life”, “Pursue happiness”. During the pandemic, “happiness” trended as the most searched word on Google!

We forget that selfishness produces apathy towards others. What is most ironical is that when we insist on pursuing happiness and fulfillment for ourselves, we become more lonely! That is one of the reasons we have a broken world. We need more humility, a willingness to see others, a readiness to sacrifice for others, and an ability to look outside ourselves, because those “others” are us. Jesus prayed, “May they be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us...” (John 17:21)

The Glory of God

“The heavens declare the glory of God.” Psalm 19:1

There is no doubt that the Patek Philippe Grandmaster Chime watch sold for $31.19 million in 2019 was created by a great designer and master craftsman. No way can the intricacy of the watch be put together by flinging the parts on the ground or putting it inside a shaker and shaking it around. In the same way, the teleological argument or the “argument from design” states that we know God exists because we observe that the magnificence of space, the beauty of the flowers, the amazing wonders of the varied animals and even our human body, cannot have been put together by luck. There is an intelligent, and to me, caring, intelligence behind it. 

Just take our skin. I find it amazing that I paint, and glue, I clean and rub dirty things, and I can wash it off and my skin is as good as new! My fingers are awesome! Can you imagine if we didn’t have our thumbs? Or lacked one joint in our fingers? If we go through the human body, one part at a time, our hair, eyelashes, nails, nose hair, lids, the list goes on and on and on, and we will just marvel at the care and love our Master Potter lavished on us when He made us from mud and dirt.  And that’s just man! There are approximately 950,000 species of insects in the world! I can imagine God crazily putting together the most outrageous colors and shapes and configurations one after the other! I don’t think He’s finished enjoying Himself yet because 18,000 species of animals are discovered every year! 😉 I cannot put enough exclamation points when I think about the amazing plumage of birds, the awesome colors of fish, and the pictures we see from outer space!!! Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious!

Father, may I never ever take Your love for granted. You gave us a beautiful, awesome world! May we slow down, appreciate Your creation, breathe in Your goodness and be filled with gratitude always!

Sing a New Song

“O God, I will sing a new song to you!” Psalm 144:9

Sometimes we get bored with our dull routines and repetitive chores. Our life can get pretty boring if we don’t see the purpose. Brother Lawrence found the secret of joy even doing menial things, like scrubbing floors and peeling potatoes. He was always, always talking to God. 

He wrote, “I have found that we can establish in ourselves a sense of the presence of God by continually talking with Him...I have resolved to make the love of God the end of all my actions.” Even if he had a natural aversion to the kitchen, Brother Lawrence found his work easy during the fifteen years he was stuck doing kitchen duty. 

Perhaps we can start singing a new song to God by imitating Brother Lawrence. Whatever we find tedious, our work, a relationship that needs fixing, taking care of a fractious elder person, we can find new life by “practicing the presence of God”. I can certainly sing a new song while I am doing my work. With God as our partner, we can find new enthusiasm and life in our day! 

Narrow Gate

“Lord, will only a few be saved?" Jesus answered them, “Strive to enter through the narrow gate..." Luke 13:23-24

Sometimes when we listen to preachers, it seems like all we need to do is say the sinner's prayer and that's it. You're saved. But Jesus says here we have to strive, to "strain every nerve to enter", to "force yourself through it", “to endeavor with strenuous zeal".  The word 'strive' is translated from the Greek AGONIZOMAI, where the word 'agony' comes from. This word is used to describe athletic contests and war. And we know what kind of contests and wars the Greeks had!!! 

It sort of reminds me of the big man who insisted on going through Fat Man's Squeeze in Rock City, Tennessee. His friends said no, let's find some other way, but he insisted on going through this narrow passage between two huge rocks. First he removed his jacket, gets out, removed his shirt, then tried again. Then he unbuckled his belt to take it off. He was able to "force himself through” finally! 

Jesus is saying here it's not as easy as saying a prayer, or getting in a line to accept Him as Lord and Savior.  It's working at it our whole life. There are things we have to get rid of too, like the man unbuckling his belt and removing his jacket.

But I hold on to Philippians 1:6, “…He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion..." Let's strive with confidence and finish the race!!

Like a Mustard Seed

Jesus said, “What is the Kingdom of God like? To what can I compare it? It is like a mustard seed that a man took and planted in the garden. When it was fully grown, it became a large bush and the birds of the sky dwelt in its branches.” Luke 13:18-19

How can the tiny mustard seed be compared to the Kingdom of God with all its power? Yet that is what Jesus compared it to. “When it is sown in the ground, the seed springs up and becomes the largest of plants and puts forth large branches, so that the birds of the sky can dwell in its shade.” That is the latent power of the seeds God plants in our hearts. With His pruning and nurturing, we can bear fruits of kindness, generosity, faithfulness and faith. The more we use these gifts, the more we grow, and the more our little corner of the world changes. We must never underestimate the power of the little seeds of good we plant on our doorstep, in our offices, schools, neighbourhoods and churches. Let us help grow the Kingdom of God one seed at a time. 

Children of the Light

“Live as children of the light!” Ephesians 5:8

The Jews for most of their history have been exiled, persecuted, and have suffered greatly. But in spite of all the pressures of living in a foreign land, they managed to maintain their language, culture, identity and spirit. When the temple was destroyed and Jerusalem pillaged, the focus of their worship transferred from the temple to their faith communities. That was when the Torah was rediscovered and read afresh.

I can say I also live in exile, in a foreign land. I am, after all, a citizen of heaven (Philippians 3:20). And like the Jews, with their songs of lamentation, I complain about this strange land I live in. The world as I know it is changing too fast, and I can't say it's for the better! The people who are looked up to, change their husbands or wives like they change their cars. Politicians lie with audacity and have no compunction to steal from the hungry and the homeless. There are apps and sites that promote adultery, and people who are against abortion are insulted. Women jiggle and sing on TV in next to nothing! No, I do not feel like I belong!

Yet I can still sing new songs to the Lord! If we live as children of the light, His mercies are new every morning! And I know in every dark shadow, there is hope shining...even in the remotest region of the world! I just need to open my eyes to what God is doing. He keeps His promises, and I wait in faith, and journey with all the other pilgrims, to our promised land!

Be Merciful!

God, be merciful to me, a sinner!" Luke 18:13

I doubt if many of us say this prayer the tax collector prayed, and that Jesus used as an example of a good prayer. I like reading stories of saints, and it is likely that a good number of them pleaded with God for mercy when they realized they were sinners. 

There's Saint Augustine who sired an illegitimate son with his long time mistress. He left her in the hopes of marrying an heiress. Saint Callixtus was a world class thief who became a Pope! Then there's Saint Olga who out of revenge buried people alive or burned them. Her grandson St. Vladimir was bloodthirsty and offered human sacrifices. Saint Mary of Egypt was a prostitute who seduced all the crew and pilgrims on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Blessed Bartolo Longo who started out as a satanic priest. 

 

But once they realized the enormity of their sin, they all turned to God, asked for mercy and forgiveness and changed their lives. Sometimes it's harder for us, who are not murderers or prostitutes, to realize how sin alienates us from our Father. Sin is sin, no matter how big or small. A red spot in an immaculate wedding gown can be seen from afar and will bother the bride. Lord, have mercy, for I am a sinner! 

In Search of Fruit

“...he came in search of fruit.” Luke 13:6

Just as in Jesus’ parable, the owner of the orchard inspects his trees for fruit, God also expects to find fruit in us. The orchard owner tells the gardener, “For three years now I have come in search of fruit on this fig tree but have found none. So cut it down! Why should it exhaust the soil, intercept the sun and take up room?” 

Then the gardener says to him, “Sir, leave it for another year. I shall cultivate the ground around it, and put manure on the soil. It may bear fruit in the future. If not, you can have it cut down.” 

Sometimes we think we cannot “produce fruit” because we are too old, too sick, or too unimportant. But if a a man named Frank who had Lou Gehrig’s disease and spent the last two years of his life in a long term care hospital can bear fruit, we certainly can. He had to use a wheelchair to get around, and his body was decaying. But he had a loving presence, he radiated the peace of Christ to everyone he encountered. When he passed away, the nurses shared at his funeral that they loved to visit him in his room and tell him their stories. Several of the nurses came to know Jesus Christ through Frank’s faith which was grounded in Christ. 

Isn’t Jesus our gardener? He prunes us so we will flourish. He feeds us, He nurtures us with His Word and His promises. He even gave up His life for us. If we do not bear fruit, He will try again and again, just so we do not become like the chaff separated from the wheat which will be burned up in never-ending fire (Matthew 3:12).

Thank You Jesus, for Your patience with me! Thank You that You do not give up on me easily. Help me bear fruit for the Father! 

Longing to See Your Face

“Lord, this is the people that longs to see Your face.” Psalm 24:6

In the 17th chapter of Luke, Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain. As the men watched, Jesus’ appearance changed so that His face shone like the sun, and His clothing became dazzling white. Suddenly, Moses and Elijah appeared and began talking with Jesus. Why Moses, and why Elijah, was it only because Moses represented the law, and Elijah the prophets? 

In Exodus chapter 33, Moses asks to see God’s glorious presence, but the Lord said, “I will make all My goodness pass before you and will proclaim before you My name ‘The Lord.’ And I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious, and will show mercy on whom I will show mercy. But,” God continued, “you CANNOT see My face, for man shall not see Me and live.” Instead Moses saw God from behind. 

In 1 Kings 19, God gives Elijah a revelation of Himself when Elijah was downhearted because he was being hunted down for being zealous for the Lord. God told Elijah to stand before Him on Mount Sinai. Elijah experienced a mighty windstorm that hurled rocks loose, an earthquake and fire, but the Lord was in neither of those forces. God spoke to Elijah in a still, small, gentle whisper, but Elijah did not see His face. 

Moses and Elijah both experienced a theophany of God, but both of them were NOT permitted to see His face. In the Transfiguration, Moses and Elijah lived to see God’s face.

These two theophanies of Moses and Elijah, along with other manifestations of God’s presence in the Old Testament, foreshadows the appearance of the Abrahamic God in Christ. Jesus is the final, climactic theophany. Through Jesus, the people who long to see God’s face can LIVE (John 14:9; Rev. 22:4)!

Power

“…that you, rooted and grounded in love, may have strength to comprehend… what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. ​Now to him who is able to accomplish far more than all we ask or imagine, by the power at work within us, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.” 

Ephesians 3:14-21

What is Saint Paul saying here? SO MUCH! We have to take it phrase by phrase, word by word. But what I got stuck at is the phrase, “by the power at work in us”. In the Book of Acts, we can read that Jesus told His disciples, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Jesus did not forsake us, and leave us without any means to fulfill what He asked of us, to become His witnesses, His ambassadors. Perhaps the kind of power we are expecting is the kind of power the people in Jerusalem expected Jesus to exhibit as the Messiah of His people. They rejected Him when He did not have the power to overthrow the Romans who lorded it over them. 

Let us ask Jesus for the power of the Holy Spirit, the power that St. Paul described to Timothy, “For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.” (Timothy 1:6-7) The power to conquer self and selfishness is the most significant power of all, because “And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.” (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Unfathomable Riches

“To me, the least of all believers, was given the grace to preach to the Gentiles the unfathomable riches of Christ...” 

Ephesians 3:8

Would we believe a man who did an about face from being a passionate enemy of Jesus and His disciples to being His most ardent follower? In the book of Ephesians we see why. Saint Paul says he was given a revelation into the mystery of Christ, a mystery hidden from ages past and now made available to us, as coheirs in the promised inheritance, the inscrutable, inexplicable, unfathomable, inexhaustible, infinite riches found in Him! St. Paul was willing to suffer, be plotted against, persecuted, imprisoned, and finally decapitated. His understanding and knowledge of Christ was so real, so all-encompassing, and so undeniable. 

Today this understanding and knowledge is available to us. We only have to read the Bible and pray that Jesus will reveal Himself to us. There are many stories of Jesus revealing Himself in dreams to many people. The parents of one young girl who was depressed and would cut herself in desperation approached a Youth for Christ staffer for help. The staffer prayed with the young girl and talked to her. “I will pray that Jesus will reveal Himself to you.” 

“I can’t do that,” the teenager protested, “God will strike me down for what I have been doing!” The YFC staffer convinced her not to be afraid. Two nights later, the teenager had a dream of a man who came to her. As He gently touched her where she had been cutting herself, she instantly was filled with joy and peace, and a sense of hope. He spoke to her and assured her of His love. 

Jesus actively seeks to call us to Himself. Let us approach Him with our whole hearts, eager to lay claim to all God has in store for us! 

Plant Seeds

“The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest.” Matthew 9:38

Jesus sends each of us out into the harvest with these words, “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to all creation” (Mark 16:15 and Matthew 28:19). In Luke 14, we read the story where the master says to his servant, ‘Go out into the highways and hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled.”

I feel that never has there been a time when so many people need to hear the good news, and we have the easy means to spread it. In the apostles’ time they had to walk to far places and speak to crowds without a microphone, without any advance advertisements. They would even be stoned, put in jail or run out of town for doing so. Today, we have the freedom to speak to our office mates, the people we meet, and even place our messages of hope on social media. We can follow Jesus’ mandate to preach the gospel where we are with what we have. We never know whose heart is ready soil to receive the seed we are planting.

A well known evangelist was invited to preach at Washington High School. When he called to say he could not make it but was sending a young man in his stead, the principal asked, “Who are you sending?” 

He answered, “Billy Graham.”

“We don’t know him, we don’t want him. We will just cancel the event.”

“Just try him out.”

The Youth for Christ rally pushed through on May 12, 1945 and after it, the well known evangelist asked the 26-year old Billy Graham, “How did it go?”

“I don’t know. Only one young boy came forward to receive Christ.”

“Did you get his name so you can pray for him?”

“Warren Wiersbe.”

Warren Wiersbe who died in 2019, was a Pastor, Bible teacher, conference speaker and prolific writer of 150 books. His Sunday sermons were broadcast on the “Calvary Hour” radio program. He became the Director of the Back to the Bible Radio Broadcasting Network. 

But we do not have to be an evangelist to plant seeds for the harvest. Stephen Baldwin of the celebrity Baldwin brothers, was evangelized by their Brazilian nanny. When Stephen and his wife Kennya hired Augusta, they noticed that she was always singing about Jesus in Portuguese. Kennya got so curious, she asked why every song was about Jesus. Kennya was taken aback when Augusta burst out laughing.

“What’s so funny?” she asked.

“Quite frankly, I think it’s a little bit funny that you think I’m here to clean your house.”

To Kennya’s amazement, Augusta told her that someone prophesied if she went to live with the Baldwins, Stephen and Kennya would one day come to faith in Jesus Christ and be involved in ministry.

Stephen recounts, “Augusta goes on to tell my wife that before she had accepted the job, she prayed with her pastor and some church members in Brazil. I haven’t told this part of the story a lot. She had a dream and saw me, saw my wife and saw my first daughter Aliya.” And that is how the former bad bad boy Stephen Baldwin became a Christian. 

Let us just plant our seeds where we can, and spread Jesus’ message of love and hope when we can. 

Pray Without Ceasing

“…pray always without becoming weary.” Luke 18:1

Prayer to me is putting on the armor God gives us and going out into the battlefield. We don’t see the enemy but they are legion and they are out to destroy us in any way they can. They look for chinks in our armor, in our mind, in situations. They strike with deception and a lot of fake news to discourage us and make us lose hope. They are still the crafty and subtle “serpents” that Eve encountered in the garden of Eden. “Did God really say...” they whisper in the battlefield of our minds. “Is God really listening to your prayers? How can you change anything with your prayers!”

We need to focus like the widow in today’s parable. She kept bothering the dishonest judge to render a just decision for her, even if the judge was ignoring her for a long time. Eventually, because of her persistence, the judge ruled in favor of her. Jesus said that God will do likewise for those who call out to Him day and night. 

I like the story of Father Robert Barron about FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. He said that these young people are always so enthusiastic and energetic. Once when he found a group of these missionaries in the University of Arizona, he asked them what their current project was. They answered, “We want to convert the most popular person in campus this year.” “And who’s that?” “The quarterback of the football team. We meet every morning and pray for his conversion.” “How is it going so far?” 

“We haven’t converted him yet, but we’ve converted his girlfriend and his roommate.” Father Barron smiled at them, “You’ve got him surrounded. It’s only a matter of time.” Yes, it’s only a matter of time. If we put on our armor, focus, and pray, God will surprise us. We should not lose hope, but be animated by our faith, excited to be in the thick of the battle. There are so many things to pray for. It’s obvious that in our country, we should not be complacent. Our enemy is working overtime to destroy truth, to destroy even our basic freedoms. Tyranny is rearing it’s ugly head and we see so many people just going with the flow. 

St. Maximilian Kolbe said, “Indifference is the greatest sin of the 20th century”. It’s still the greatest sin today.  We have a powerful, magnificent weapon in our hands. Let us not be weary about using it! Inside each of us is a warrior! Let us go unafraid into battle! Our prayer room is our war room! 

Treasures in Heaven

“Thus will it be for the one who stores up treasure for himself but is not rich in what matters to God.” Luke 12:21

Sometimes we rush through reading the Bible because we have read it before. But when we slow down, we may be able to find gems like this verse: 

“I commend you now to the Lord, and to that gracious WORD of His which can build you up and give you your rightful inheritance among all those set apart for God’s purpose.” Saint Paul, Acts 20:32

When we are able to savor God's Word, we can discover a treasure room full of different finely set jewels, intricate gold pieces and the finest pearls. Just like that room in the movie, “National Treasure”, but only bigger, limitless!

Many people through the ages have sought after gold, pearls, and jewels. Some have gone down deep into the sea to salvage pirate's treasure. Kings hoarded gems, explorers bravely set out to find cities of gold, pioneers spent years prospecting the elusive metal. Legends have grown around famous pearls. One particular pearl, the La Peregrina, has an illustrious 500 year history! After being found by a slave in Africa in the 1500s, and worn by Spanish queens and English nobility, it eventually ended up in Elizabeth Taylor's extensive jewelry collection. Once, she recounts in her book, she was so scared because she lost it. It was eventually found in the mouth of one of her puppies! The most perfect pearl in the world being chewed by a puppy!!

One day, all these worldly treasures will be worth precisely that- nothing! Years and years of prospecting something that is worth nothing! So much time, money and effort spent searching for some elusive treasure under the sea worth nothing! 

What do we spent our time, effort and money on? Does it have eternal value or will it be eventually worth nothing? Jesus said we should store up for ourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal; for where our treasure is, there our heart will be also. (Matthew 6:20-21) Let us dig in the vast treasure of God's Word and let it enlarge us, build us up and give us an inheritance worth far more than all the earthly treasures throughout the ages!

Pray Without Ceasing

“…pray always without becoming weary.” Luke 18:1

Prayer to me is putting on the armor God gives us and going out into the battlefield. We don’t see the enemy but they are legion and they are out to destroy us in any way they can. They look for chinks in our armor, in our mind, in situations. They strike with deception and a lot of fake news to discourage us and make us lose hope. They are still the crafty and subtle “serpents” that Eve encountered in the garden of Eden. “Did God really say...” they whisper in the battlefield of our minds. “Is God really listening to your prayers? How can you change anything with your prayers!”

We need to focus like the widow in today’s parable. She kept bothering the dishonest judge to render a just decision for her, even if the judge was ignoring her for a long time. Eventually, because of her persistence, the judge ruled in favor of her. Jesus said that God will do likewise for those who call out to Him day and night. 

I like the story of Father Robert Barron about FOCUS, the Fellowship of Catholic University Students. He said that these young people are always so enthusiastic and energetic. Once when he found a group of these missionaries in the University of Arizona, he asked them what their current project was. They answered, “We want to convert the most popular person in campus this year.” “And who’s that?” “The quarterback of the football team. We meet every morning and pray for his conversion.” “How is it going so far?” 

“We haven’t converted him yet, but we’ve converted his girlfriend and his roommate.” Father Barron smiled at them, “You’ve got him surrounded. It’s only a matter of time.” Yes, it’s only a matter of time. If we put on our armor, focus, and pray, God will surprise us. We should not lose hope, but be animated by our faith, excited to be in the thick of the battle. There are so many things to pray for. It’s obvious that in our country, we should not be complacent. Our enemy is working overtime to destroy truth, to destroy even our basic freedoms. Tyranny is rearing it’s ugly head and we see so many people just going with the flow. 

St. Maximilian Kolbe said, “Indifference is the greatest sin of the 20th century”. It’s still the greatest sin today.  We have a powerful, magnificent weapon in our hands. Let us not be weary about using it! Inside each of us is a warrior! Let us go unafraid into battle! Our prayer room is our war room! 

A Good Gardener

“What is man that you should be mindful of him, or the son of man that you should care for him?” Psalm 8:5

In the book “The Insanity of God: A True Story of Faith Resurrected”, Nik Ripken shares a lot of horror stories about the time he was in Somalia helping distribute food in a war torn country. One time his Somali chief of staff and right hand man, Omar Aziz, came into his office weeping. When he had calmed down enough to speak, he recounted that he was walking down a street when he noticed a malnourished woman sitting against a tree nursing a baby. He greeted her and she smiled back. When he returned the same way after finishing his errand, the woman and her baby were still there. This time the baby was squirming and whimpering, but the woman was not moving. In the brief time since he had passed, the young mother had died. 

He took the child, and was able to find some people who gave the woman a proper burial. It took him some time before he found a nursing mother whose child had just died to take care of the baby. But the experience was just too much for this man who had seen so much heartache already. “My poor country! What is going to become of us?”

Today, the UN is warning that Somalia is facing its worst drought in forty years and of course a devastating famine. Oxfam, the aid agency, says that one person is likely to die every 36 seconds between now until the end of the year. This while the country is still recovering from a brutal two-decade civil war that has damaged almost every sector of the country. There are many heartbreaking stories about how the Somalis have been taken advantage of, brutalized, and used as pawns by warring clans. More than 500,000 people have died since the start of the devastating famine and civil war in Somalia. 

So much death. So much pain. But in God’s eyes, death is not a thing to be feared. A murderer, a virus, can only kill the body. It does not kill the forever part of us, our soul. That is why it is important to tend our souls. God is our partner in taking care of our souls. As St. Teresa of Avila, whose feast day we celebrate today, wrote in the book about her life, “Beginners must realize that in order to give delight to the Lord they are starting to cultivate a garden on very barren soil, full of abominable weeds. His Majesty pulls up the weeds and plants good seed. Now let us keep in mind that all of this is already done by the time a soul is determined to practice prayer and has begun to make use of it. And with the help of God we must strive like good gardeners to get these plants to grow and take pains to water them so that they don’t wither but come to bud and flower and give forth a most pleasant fragrance to provide refreshment for this Lord of ours. Then He will often come to take delight in this garden and find His joy among these virtues.”

Every Spiritual Blessing

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed you and I in Christ with EVERY SPIRITUAL BLESSING in the heavens, as He chose you and I in Him, before the foundation of the world, to be holy and without blemish before Him. In love, He destined you and I for adoption to Himself through Christ Jesus." Ephesians 1:3-5

There are many legendary misers. There’s Jemmy Wood, a wealthy banker who would scrounge around the docks in his raggedy clothes to snatch pieces of coal that fell to the ground which he would then use to build a fire to warm himself. The American billionaire J. Paul Getty was so stingy he had a pay phone installed in his mansion so his guests wouldn’t use his phone. Then there’s Daniel K. Ludwig, a shipping magnate, who fired a captain of one of his tankers for using a paper clip on a two page letter! Another well known miser was Daniel Dancer, an Englishman who inherited his wealth from his father. He made his sister his housekeeper and forced her to cook partially decomposed animals he found in the wild. When she got sick, he wouldn’t pay the doctor and she died. 

We don't want to be like them, do we? So let's not be misers with our riches. Let us not wait to discover how rich we are! God has blessed us with EVERY spiritual blessing! . That's more valuable than any earthy blessing! More valuable than $100 milllion or 200! God’s spiritual blessings are to be shared, not kept for ourselves. That is the only way it will increase, and we can be fruitful. And the best part is, He chose us to be adopted into His family! I am super excited about that! Are you?

Nothing Concealed

“There is nothing concealed that will not be revealed...” Luke 12:2

In 2017, my dad had our home, the home we grew up in, renovated. It got a new splash of paint, the windows were fixed, and the garden was replanted with flowers. It looked really, really nice...on the outside. 

Then about 8 months after the renovation, my dad told us that termites attacked the wooden parts of the roof truss and flooring. When I visited, I was horrified to see the ceiling, the cabinets in the kitchen and master’s bedroom toilet removed to expose the damage. It was much worse in the attic. When my dad was having the exterior beautified, we did not realize that there was so much rotting wood inside the ceilings! 

We have to examine our life if there’s anything in our character, attitude and mind set that needs a thorough overhaul. We can be “beautiful” on the outside, like what Jesus said of the Pharisees, but rotten inside. We need to be very careful, because like termites that can destroy a home from the inside out, a ‘little’ sin can grow and corrupt the very foundation of our Christian life. We need to root out wrong thinking, lukewarmness, selfishness, and a placid acceptance of worldly values. We have to pray, read the Bible everyday, and serve others, so that our inner compass can guide us. If we don’t, that inner compass will get rusty, all but covered in the moist soil that termites use to move around in. 

Lord, show me where I am not pleasing to You, where I am dirty in Your sight. Sometimes I am not very charitable towards how I think of others. Sometimes I am not generous. Help me to get rid of the ‘termites’ that are destroying my relationship with you and my brothers and sisters. 

Near Running Water

“He is like a tree planted near running water, that yields its fruit in due season, and whose leaves never fade. Whatever he does prospers." Psalm 1:3 

After a strong typhoon, we see some trees uprooted, but some trees remain. What is the difference? It is perhaps the roots. Roots serve to anchor trees to the ground. Roots are also how the trees get their food. The more roots and root hairs, the more a tree can absorb nutrients from the soil. The roots also are the trees' pantries, where they store food for later use. When a tree is cut down, and its roots remain, the roots can send up a shoot that can start to grow into a tree again!

How important it is that we develop a strong root system, that we be FIRMLY PLANTED and established in the Word of God, so that even if we become "uprooted" because of sin, there is always hope for new life! And how important it is that we keep a “store" of God's Word in our heart, so that when troubles come, we can draw strength and peace from it!

God Knows Us inside Out

“Oh you Pharisees! Although you cleanse the outside of the cup and the dish, inside you are filled with plunder and evil. You fools! Did not the maker of the outside also make the inside? But as to what is within, give alms, and behold, everything will be clean for you.” 

Luke 11:39-41

When my mother was still alive, we went on a pilgrimage to Europe because we found out she had tongue cancer. On the very first day, we waited to have lunch in a Chinese restaurant in Paris. While seated inside, we noticed that the waiters removed the tea cups from a pail, and the insides of the cups were filthy with the tea residue. After discussion, we left, along with many of our tour mates. The dirt inside the tea cups was easy to see. Even the pail was yukky. What an experience in one of the most beautiful cities in the world! 

In contrast, only God can see what is inside us! Jesus saw that the Pharisees were hypocrites, that they were experts in making people feel guilty about small matters of the law, while they themselves neglected what was more important to God, loving our neighbor and putting God first. In Psalm 139, David wrote, “O Lord, You have probed me and You know me...You understand my thoughts...my journeys and my rest you scrutinize, with all my ways You are familiar.” 

Yes, God knows us inside out. We cannot hide from Him. He made us and we are His. We cannot fool Him. Just as He probes us, let us probe ourselves as well, observing what we need to repent of. He loves us in spite of our weakness and sin. He is willing to help us be more than conquerors! 

The Only Sign

“While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them, ‘This generation is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah...’” Luke 11:29

We are always looking for signs, a red rose, a white rose, whatever. I remember when my mom used to call a particular book of meditations, the magic book, because when she would cut it, the words on that page gave her an answer that was particularly meaningful for her. 

In this passage from the book of Luke, Jesus told the crowd listening to Him that, “This is an evil generation; it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it, except the sign of Jonah...” So many people followed Jesus around, jostled to listen to Him, because He was a miracle worker, He healed the sick, He raised the dead, He multiplied bread. If Jesus came today, crowds would follow Him as well. And He would say the same thing, “This generation is an evil generation.” Not much has changed. I am still selfish, seeking my own good, instead of looking after the needs of my neighbors. I may try to be pious but do I see things the way the Lord wants me to? Am I where the Lord wants me to be? 

Jesus already gave us the ultimate sign, the sign of Jonah. Of course the crowds during Jesus’ time would never have gotten the allusion, but we have the advantage of knowing what happened after Jesus was crucified. Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale for three days, Jesus stayed in the darkness of His tomb for three days. And just as He prophesied, He rose again to save us from our selfishness, and sin, and death to give us new life. 

These past few years several people I’ve known have passed away from cancer, COVID and other diseases. Truly it is sad and difficult to accept that God did not heal them after we pleaded and asked for His mercy. May the families they’ve left behind be consoled by the reality that they are now with the resurrected Lord who loves them best. We ask for signs but the sign of Jonah is our best and brightest hope for a new dawn! 

Intentional Gratefulness

“Ten were cleansed, were they not? Where are the other nine? Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?” 

Luke 17:17-18

Ten lepers were healed by Jesus, but only one came back to “glorify God in a loud voice; and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked Him.”

We do not want to be like the 9 lepers, who did not even turn back to express their gratitude to God for their healing. They took it for granted. They were perhaps too busy greeting their family and friends, and making plans of what they could do now they were no longer outcasts. 

I look back at my prayer journal, and although I have a list of blessings, I see days when I do not list even one. I have to be more conscious, more awake, more aware of how God gives us gifts all the time. Sunshine, rain, the air we breathe, each ordinary day. When I was young, I liked excitement, but now I revel in ordinary days. 

Scientific studies show that gratitude expressed and shared, restructures our brain, physically remaps the connections in our brain, and unlocks happiness and even, joy. Digging up bad memories, hurts, traumatic experiences, reinforces the negative and holds us back. So let us be INTENTIONALLY grateful, and let that gratefulness overflow into blessing for others.

Heirs According to the Promise

“…for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you belong to Christ, then you are Abraham’s descendants, heirs according to the promise.” Galatians 3:29

When we read the family tree of Christ in the first chapter of Matthew,  we will see that amazingly there are four women listed. It was unusual enough that women were included, but they were outsiders, they were women who did not fit in. There was twice widowed Tamar, discriminated against by her father in law. Then there is the Canaanite prostitute Rahab who becomes a heroine by hiding Israelite spies. The Moabite Ruth is famous for being a comfort to her mother-in-law by staying with her. “Where you go I will go, and where you stay I will stay. Your people will be my people and your God my God,” she promised. And then there is the infamous Bathsheba who entices King David by her beauty and is the reason the King has her husband murdered. 

Like a portion of a plant is grafted on to a branch of another such that they will continue to grow together, you and me, and Tamar, and Ruth, Rahab and Bathsheba, are grafted into Jesus’ royal lineage! In grafting, this added piece is called a “scion”, a young shoot or twig of a plant for rooting. Coincidentally, “scion” can also mean a descendant of a notable family. 

Thank You, Father, Your plan for Your family is more than amazing, more than miraculous. You take us, broken as we are, unfaithful, messed up people, and graft us into Your family, into Your heart. 

Divided We Fall

"Every kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste." Luke 11:17

Every house, every business, every congregation, every school, every village, every country, every organization, every church divided against itself will be devastated, ruined, laid waste.

The enemy wants us to fight each other. He does not seem to care what side you are on, just as long as you fight to destroy something.

How to avoid this? We should be united in our families, churches, businesses, etc by putting God first. We will never avoid conflict, or disagreements, but if all concerned put God's values first, that is the most fundamental way to get through conflict victoriously and become stronger individually and corporately!

Ask and You Shall Receive

"Ask and you shall receive." Luke 11:9

Have you ever wondered why sometimes God's answers take so long in coming? I have. Sometimes we pray and pray, fast, cast out, stand on God’s promises etc. but we do not see the answer for a long time. 

There is a story of a young boy who witnessed the difficulty of a butterfly coming out of its cocoon. He pitied the butterfly struggling to get free that he decided to help the butterfly out by cutting the cocoon. He did not know that these beautiful winged creatures release a chemical when they are getting out of the chrysalis. Their pushing and pulling movements within the cocoon pumps the chemical fluid into their wings, and this chemical strengthens their wings.

Because the boy helped the butterfly, when it emerged, its body was swollen and its wings weak and crumpled. The wings did not expand and it could not fly. 

Like the struggles of the butterfly, our trials and challenges have a purpose. Even the timing is important. In Romans 5:3-4 we read, “…we glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope.” 

And from James 1:2-4, we are encouraged to “Consider it pure joy, brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

God has a wonderful plan for each of us. Let us ask, trusting that we will receive God’s answer in His perfect time! “And I am sure of this, that He who began a good work in you will bring it to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” (Philippians 1:6)