Angels Watching Over Me

Today, September 29, is the Feast of Saints Michael, Gabriel and Raphael, Archangels. Many people love angel stories, and many more are rather skeptical. 

I believe that there are many things happening in the spiritual realm more real than what we see with our eyes. That is why we should not despair, and only trust and believe in what God is doing on our behalf. After my open heart surgery in December 2019, my sister prodded her husband to share what happened when he was praying for me during my procedure. He was very reluctant, saying repeatedly, “I’m not an angel person.” Then he narrated that while he was praying for me, he saw several large angels surrounding me during my operation. “Then I cried,” he said, embarrassed, “and I’m not a crying person either!” After that, he knew I was going to be all right. 

I cried too when he told me. Imagine, God sending angels to watch over me! We don’t really know but what if that is the ordinary run of events? If we pray that God will send His angels to watch over our children, our spouses, our homes and schools, our country, will He not do it? It may seem old fashioned to believe in benevolent beings taking care of us but the scriptural foundation is what Jesus said in Matthew 18:10, that each one of us has an angel. The pillars of the early Church believed in angels. St. Basil of Caesarea, a fourth century theologian wrote, “Beside each believer stands an angel as protector and shepherd leading him or her to life”. 

We commemorate this feast because we desire to celebrate God’s wonderful and faithful protection and providence. Many times we are unaware of our angels’ intervention, but there are many stories about how someone is saved by one who cannot be traced. 

Father, thank You that You command Your angels to guard us in all our ways. (Psalm 91:11)

Living Stone

Today is the Feast Day of San Lorenzo Ruiz, our first Filipino saint, and I chose to draw him on my journal.

Poor San Lorenzo, he is beset by bags under his eyes! But that is the least of his problems! San Lorenzo was martyred for his faith. He was asked: "If we let you live, will you renounce your faith?"

And Saint Lorenzo Ruiz answered: “That I shall never do because I am a Christian and I shall die for God, and for Him I will give many thousands of lives if I had them. And so do with me as you please."

He and his companions in Japan were tortured, hung by their feet and submerged in water, needles pressed between their fingernails, beaten, etc. He died after suffering two days on the gallows in 1637, still professing His love for God.

I pray that none of us will be tested like that, but that in our daily lives, we may find the strength and courage to follow God, to be His disciples, to build His Church as His living stones. 

Take Nothing For Your Journey

“Take nothing for the journey, neither walking stick, nor sack, nor food, nor money, and let no one take a second tunic…” Luke 9:3

When St. Francis of Assisi heard the gospel on taking nothing for the journey on Feb. 24, 1208, he was overjoyed. I can't imagine anyone being overjoyed at Jesus' instructions to the Twelve Apostles to go out preaching and to take nothing but a walking stick! But Saint Francis had been feeling the pull of God in dreams and visions, and he felt that this was the clear direction he had been seeking.

Although he had been a rich young man, with a taste for luxurious clothes and good food, he had renounced his possessions to the dismay of his father, and embarked on begging for food and for stones to rebuild a small church. Why did Jesus instruct them to bring nothing but a walking stick? 

In The Anawim Way, I read, “This poverty is an integral part of their mission. Jesus requires them to go forth as poor men so that they will always remain aware that they are totally dependent on God. Whatever results they may achieve will not come through human means but through divine providence. Jesus is more concerned that His disciples be poor than that they be successful. Success in the eyes of the world is not a measure of value in the Kingdom of God, whereas poverty of spirit is the key to being a truly effective minister – even if the world pays no attention at all.”

Like Saint Francis, we too are pilgrims on a journey. We take different paths, but we go to the same God. We will all learn eventually that we need to take nothing on our journey. Everything will be left behind.

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose." (Jim Elliot, from his diary, Oct. 28, 1949)

Act On It

He said to them in reply, “My mother and my brothers are those who hear the word of God and act on it.” Luke 8:21

It is easy to say we will read scripture and obey when times are good. How about when times are rough? Will we continue to praise the Lord and magnify His name as the Word commands in Psalm 34:2-3 and in many other verses? 

One of my favorite songs is “Blessings” written and sung by Laura Story. Here are the lyrics:

“We pray for blessings

We pray for peace

Comfort for family, protection while we sleep

We pray for healing, for prosperity

We pray for Your mighty hand to ease our suffering

All the while, You hear each spoken need

Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things

'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops

What if Your healing comes through tears

What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near?

What if trials of this life are Your mercies in disguise?

We pray for wisdom

Your voice to hear

We cry in anger when we cannot feel You near

We doubt your goodness, we doubt your love

As if every promise from Your Word is not enough

All the while, You hear each desperate plea

And long that we'd have faith to believe

When friends betray us

When darkness seems to win

We know that pain reminds this heart

That this is not our home

What if my greatest disappointments

Or the aching of this life

Is the revealing of a greater thirst this world can't satisfy? 

What if trials of this life

The rain, the storms, the hardest nights

Are your mercies in disguise?”

https://youtu.be/XQan9L3yXjc?si=2D1zYrn3IjVVUd1j

The words come from the deepest pains of her heart. Her husband, athlete Martin Ellington, was diagnosed with a brain tumor just two years after they got married. After his operation, the surgeon said they would just have to wait and see if he could remember her, there were no guarantees he would even be alive! When Martin woke up after the complicated procedure, and saw her, he said, “You’re Laura Story! What are you doing here?” It was good he recognized who she was and when she told him she was his wife, he had the best possible reaction. 

After several years, Martin’s disabilities did not improve, and they also had the challenge of infertility, and a son’s birth defect to deal with. Laura had to come to terms with not being in control of her life, and this realization led her to write her book, bible study and CD, “I Give Up: The Secret Joy of a Surrendered Life”. In it she shares how she found blessing in surrendering her life to God. 

Laura says, “When we surrender, we invite God into our story as our King, and we take our rightful place in His story as beloved children and heirs. That kind of surrender is the real secret to joy, joy that is never threatened by circumstances that change day to day. It leads to a life that is adventurously expectant, greeting God with a childlike, ‘What’s next, Papa???’ (Rom. 8:15?17 The Message).”

Father, I invite You into my life as my highest joy. You know me and my foibles better than I know myself. With expectant faith, may I hear Your Word and act on it, knowing You always have the best plan for me!

Let Your Light Shine

“No one who lights a lamp conceals it with a vessel or sets it under a bed; rather, he places it on a lampstand so that those who enter may see the light. For there is nothing hidden that will not become visible, and nothing secret that will not be known and come to light.” Luke 8:16-17

I remember a very well known, very beautiful woman once commenting, “I don’t know why people would want to shake my hand. They don’t know what I was doing and where I came from.” I couldn’t forget her saying this when I was quite young because I remember wondering what could she have been doing to make her say that! I thought she was hinting she came from the comfort room and had not washed her hands! All of us have secrets like the most embarrassing thing to have happened to us, or where we keep our passwords, but Jesus said in this same passage that there is nothing hidden that will not be revealed, nothing secret that will not come to light. 

Today it is not politically correct, especially in the West, to talk about religion and politics. There’s a lot of talk about relativism and about how we should respect others’ beliefs. We tiptoe around sharing the truth, the Word of God, because what is my truth may not be another’s. The world does not believe in absolute truth anymore which is absurd! This is another way the world wants to stifle us from telling others the Good News. We are God’s light bearers and what God has revealed to us, we should not hide or be shy about proclaiming. The disciples and the saints were willing to die to proclaim the truth. “Let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Heavenly Father.” (Matthew 5:16) 

Unjust?

 "I do you no injustice." Matthew 20:13

Is God unjust? If we measure Him against human standards, He certainly is. In Isaiah 55:8, the Lord tells us, “My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts, and My ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." (New Living Translation) But the wonderfully amazing thing is He wants us to get to know Him. He wants us to become like Him. 

And that is why we have the Bible, the story of how an awesome God calls us to be His own, calls us to be His people. He is so generous, He wants to share His wealth of wisdom, peace, love, joy, and then ultimately eternal life in His Kingdom, with us, mere servants! 

In the parable Jesus tells in Matthew 20, there is an owner of a vineyard who  indiscriminately calls anyone to work for him. He invites workers at the start of the work day and says he will pay them the daily wage. Then he hires workers at midday, 

then at 3 o'clock, then at the 11th hour, one hour before all work finishes. He pays the workers who worked for one hour the daily wage. He paid the same amount to those who worked for more hours. The workers hired for the whole day complained. Perhaps we would do the same. Working in the vineyard is hard work. I am sure the sun was hot, and the work is back breaking. 

But what if the daily wage was eternal life? Is there anything more valuable than fullness of life that is eternal? That is God's promise for all the workers of His vineyard. As long as we serve Him, follow Him, love Him and His people, that is what we will get at the 12th hour. And just like the owner of the vineyard, God calls us all, the intelligent, the not so intelligent, the shy, the sick, the lame, the poor, the sinner, the drug addict, the prisoner, the drug lord, the corrupt politician, everyone! We are all welcome to work in God's vineyard! 

Lord, thank You for the opportunity to work in Your vineyard. We are all imperfect people with our own unique flaws and weaknesses, yet You do not give up on us. Help us to see others with Your eyes, and to love them and be generous like You!

Put Your Conscience in Order

Today is the Feast Day of Padre Pio.

 He was my mother’s favorite saint and she always asked him to intercede for her concerns. After my father’s kidney stone operation, he was in very much pain, so my mom put her hand over his wounds, and asked for Padre Pio’s help. Immediately the pain subsided, and my father who is a Methodist and did not believe in the intercession of saints, asked her to continue praying over him. 

I was listening to a video of a man who knew Angelo, the great grandson of Padre Pio’s assistant for 25 years. Angelo grew up hearing his great grandfather tell amazing stories about the saint. One man came to visit Padre Pio and said, “Were you the priest...” and Padre Pio continued, “ in your dream? Yes.” The man had dreamed that he asked this priest for help for healing of his father, and his father was healed right away. 

Another story that Angelo remembers is about a woman who went to confession and Padre Pio turned her away after listening to her sins. “You have not confessed everything! Pray the rosary!” She came back a second time, and he turned her away again, “Basta! Pray some more!” The third time she came back for absolution, Padre Pio asked her to close her eyes, “What do you see?” She responded, “I see Jesus and a priest, but I do not know the priest.” Padre Pio then said that was because she had aborted him and he would have been a Pope! 

Padre Pio recommended an examination of conscience twice a day, in the morning to make us ready to face the day, and before we sleep at night. He said, “The person who meditates and turns his mind to God, who is the mirror of his soul, seeks to know his faults, tries to correct them, moderates his impulses, and puts his conscience in order." That is how we can consider our ways, and always be on God’s side.

Only With Gratitude

“For we brought nothing into the world, just as we shall not be able to take anything out of it. If we have food and clothing, we shall be content with that. Those who want to be rich are falling into temptation and into a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires, which plunge them into ruin and destruction. For the love of money is the root of all evils, and some people in their desire for it have strayed from the faith and have pierced themselves with many pains.” 1 Timothy 6:7-10

How appropriate is this letter of St. Paul to his younger coworker Timothy in this day and age. Indeed when we were born, we did not have a stitch of clothing on us. All we had was our breath to cry until our faces turned crimson! And when we die, no matter what we believe in, we will take nothing with us but what the grace of God allows us to bring. If we are blessed and have walked with Him, and made Him our friend, we will see Him face to face just as Abraham did. 

One of the best antidotes to not falling into the many traps in this world, is to take time each day to be intentionally grateful, to be content with what we have, and not feel the need to grasp for more, more, more. Jesus’ upside-down kingdom where it is more blessed to give than to receive (Acts 20:35), to be poor in spirit rather than to be rich in material things (Matthew 5:3), where the weak are strong (2 Corinthians 12:10), and the last are first (Matthew 2016), show us we have much to learn about the abundant life Jesus came to give us! 

There are a few daily exercises more effective than counting our blessings daily that can transform us deeply, that enables us to be more aware that as author and theologian Deitrich Bonhoeffer writes, “In ordinary life, we hardly realize that we receive a great deal more than we give, and that it is only with gratitude that life becomes rich.” Yes! Truly rich and abundant! 🎶🎶🎶

Follow Me

“What reason can the teacher have for eating with tax collectors and those who disregard the law?" Matthew 9:11

If Jesus was around today, where would we find him? He would probably be consorting with drug addicts, thieves, prostitutes and other sinners. We certainly would not find him with the self-righteous and those filled with condemnation for these "low life". Jesus can see our hearts, what fills our minds. He knows us better than we know ourselves. 

When He saw Matthew seated at his table in the tax collectors' office, Jesus saw not only the corrupt and hopeless sinner, but He saw the man Matthew could be. He did not only see this despicable man who collaborated with the Roman occupying force, but more, He knew Matthew would become His obedient follower, the one who would live and die for Him. Today we celebrate Saint Matthew's feast day. 

We can trust that Jesus does the same for us. He sees our potential, the saints we can become. He says the same to each of us, "Follow me." Lord, may I respond like Saint Matthew, so You can work in my life to bring out the best in me.

For Him

"It is for Him that I die." 

Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gôn

Today, September 20, is the feast day of Saint Andrew Kim Tae-gon, the patron saint of Korea, and the first Catholic priest in Korea. 

His parents were Catholic and Andrew Kim was baptized at age 15. In 1839, he came to the Philippines to study in Lolomboy, Bocaue, Bulacan. There is a shrine there today dedicated to him run by Korean nuns. When he was ordained a priest in 1844, the Catholic Koreans were so happy because they could hear mass every day and receive the Sacraments. But King Yeongjo of the Joseon Dynasty outlawed Christianity and persecuted the Christians. Andrew Kim's father was martyred along with thousands of Christians who refused to give up their faith. 

A little more than a year after Andrew Kim became a priest, he too was martyred. At the young age of 25, he was tortured and beheaded near Seoul on the Han River along with many others. His last words were recorded to be: "This is my last hour of life, listen to me attentively...It is for Him that I die. My immortal life is just beginning. Become Christians if you wish to be happy after death, because God has eternal chastisements in store for those who have refused to know Him." 

Today there are about 14.4 million Christians in Korea and the Church there is one of the fastest growing in the world.

God Has Visited His People

“God has visited His people.” 

Luke 7: 16

God always visits us, but we do not always see Him. We usually fail to see Him in our busy-ness, our preoccupation with things of this earth, in our anxieties and worries, sometimes even in our excitement for things to come.

But when we need Him, invariably, we plead for His intervention. In the story in the 7th chapter of Luke, Jesus happens upon a funeral procession for the only son of a widow. The woman was weeping and the crowd around her could not fail to weep with her. It was bad enough that her husband had died, now her son had left her as well! How could she have known that the God of life would cross her path, and speak words that would raise her son up from the grave? 

The crowd witnessed the miracle, and fear seized them all. They glorified God, and exclaimed, “God has visited His people!” We should never forget that God is always with us, even when we do not see things out of the ordinary. After all, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen as St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Hebrews. 

Faith is essential to us Christians. We need to confidently believe in God’s promises. We need to trust and rely on God even in difficult circumstances. That is why it is good to arm ourselves with God’s Word, and with the stories of the saints who were victorious in their earthly battles. We should never ever give up on ourselves. God is always with us, making sure that just as He began the good work within us, He will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. (Philippians 1:6) 

Forgiven

"Lord, I am not worthy to have you under my roof..." Matthew 8:8

We Catholics say these words before Communion during every Mass. These are the words a centurion said to Jesus when he heard that Jesus was coming to his home to heal his paralyzed servant.

"Lord, I am not worthy..." this coming from a man who had authority over a hundred men in the Roman army. He could have felt entitled, as many police captains feel entitled to favor. But this centurion knew his place. When one is sick, one needs a correct diagnosis in order to get an effective prescription for medicine that will heal you. If we don't know the depth of the problem, a doctor can't help very much. That's why a doctor has all those tests done, to get the real situation.

In this story, the centurion saw the situation for what it really was. He saw himself in relation to Christ. He recognized Jesus' authority. He knew he was not worthy to have Jesus visit him. How about us? Do we really recognize how unworthy we are in relation to God? We need to know the real situation so that God can "heal" us, and bring us to the place He wants us to be- His sons and daughters, bought by His Son's blood.

Lord, I am not worthy to have You in my heart. Do Your work in me, heal me, that I may have a true understanding of who I am. Beloved. Redeemed. Forgiven.

Forgive Seventy Seven Times

“Lord, if my brother sins against me, how often must I forgive him? As many as seven times?” Jesus answered, “I say to you, not seven times but seventy-seven times.” Matthew 18:21-22

Ann Voskamp is one of my favorite writers and this is what she has to say about forgiving:

“This is hard but healing:

 

Forgive to give freedom.

Forgive to give yourself the key out, forgive to give what you’ve been given.

Forgive to give what you will need to get a thousand times so you can get to go on. 

 

Love gives. So live given.

Love is a verb and that verb is give.

You’ve been given so much — so how can you not live given?

 

Give thanks and live given — this is how you get joy.”

Forgiving is not the easiest thing. I know because sometimes I grapple with commenting mean words to somebody who did something not even against me but what I felt was against all Filipinos. How much more if he wronged me or a loved one personally? But forgiveness is a decision we have to make each and every day until we get it right. Our Father is all about forgiveness. When we say the Lord’s Prayer we ask that He forgive us as we forgive those who have sinned against us. Sometimes this is impossible and I think of all the survivors of Auschwitz like Corrie Ten Boom, or women who have been raped or abused like Christine Caine, or mothers and fathers whose sons or daughters have been taken from them in the mass shootings in schools in the US. We cannot do it on our own. We need to pull from God’s sea of mercy and allow Him to work in our hearts and minds one day at a time. Sometimes a minute at a time.

Good Fruit

Jesus said to his disciples: “A good tree does not bear rotten fruit, nor does a rotten tree bear good fruit…” Luke 6:43

These days there’s a lot of temptation to judge people and even wish they get thrown into the fire for all eternity. We know a lot of our taxes gets waylaid into deep pockets of bribery and corruption, extortion and kick backs. News of killings because of drugs or revenge,  are not exposed in social media but when you listen to the radio, it is still as rampant as ever. We get horrified by men in uniform who act like hoodlums. It is tempting to conclude these evil men will end up in hell, but we should not issue final judgments. “Whatever measure you use in judging others, it will be used to measure how you are judged.” (Matthew 7:3) We can however judge a tree by its fruit: “by their fruits, you will know them.” 

The first “tree” we should examine is ourself. What kind of fruit is on our branches? In Galatians 5:22, we can find a checklist of the fruit we must bear: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. When people get to know us, do they see these ‘fruits’ in us?

One time a supplier for our business found out I was a Christian, and he asked: “You were not a Christian last year when I came here, were you?” How painful that he pointed out that I was unusually impatient that day! 

It is said that the Christian is the world’s Bible. We are ambassadors for Christ. We are His hands and feet here on earth. Lord, please enable us to exhibit the fruit of Your Holy Spirit. 

Behold Your Mother

“Woman, behold, your son.” Then he said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother.” And from that hour the disciple took her into his home. John 19:26-27

Today the Catholic Church celebrates the memorial of Our Lady of Sorrows. The first image that comes to mind is Michelangelo Buonarroti’s Pieta in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. I first saw this beautiful Renaissance masterpiece in 1978, and I thought it perfectly depicted how a mother would have been devastated, seeing her son tortured, humiliated, and bloodied. How she would have wanted to cradle his mangled body and mourn bitter tears after he was taken down off the cross. Perhaps she wanted time to stop. As any mother knows, ever since her child is born, it’s like her heart is placed in his body. She bleeds when he bleeds, she cries when he cries. 

As much as Mary loved her Son, we can say He loved her too. The last words He said to her, “Woman, behold your son,” showed her that even in His suffering, He thought of her. He entrusted her to John’s care as a loving son would. We can also glimpse beyond the pain and sorrow, to Jesus’ intention that we all be commended to His mother as her spiritual children. 

We can look to Mary as a perfect example of grace under pressure, of love and faith that bears all things. Always, always, Mary will point us to Jesus. As our mother, she will always say, just as she told the servants at Cana, “Do whatever He tells you.”

Stop Complaining!

“We have sinned in complaining against the Lord..." 

Numbers 21:7

How hard should it be to cultivate an attitude of gratitude? We are soooo rich! Consider how much a blind man would pay to have even one eye? How much a paraplegic would give to be able to move around and not have others help him do what we take for granted every day? How much for a kidney, a heart, a leg or a hand? We are billionaires! 

If you can read this, you have access to a computer or a cellphone, and you also have WiFi. 828 million people in the world don't even have enough to eat!

A few years ago I had so many canker sores in my mouth for months at a time. I couldn't eat, I couldn't talk, I couldn't sing! I got so thin I thought I looked like a model. Ha ha! Sometimes I would get respite and it felt so good to be able to sing songs during mass and in my community. Do we have to wait to lose things before we think of praising God for what we have? 

There was a time I had difficulty walking. It turned out I had some compressed discs in my spine. Now I need oxygen 24/7. I have resolved to praise God for the "ordinary, every day things" I can do. I can walk, I can talk, I can paint, I see colors, I can read and write…

So much to praise God for! COUNTLESS!!!

What other ordinary, everyday things should we be grateful for?

Seek What is Above

“…seek what is above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Think of what is above, not of what is on earth…Put to death, then, the parts of you that are earthly: immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and the greed that is idolatry.” Colossians 3:1-8

I’m still trying to navigate Tiktok and most of the reels I get are either selling something or dancing or silly things. But today, I got interested in the love story of a pretty American woman named Lily who used to live in New Orleans and had a very successful restaurant there. She had so many clothes and shoes and things, and lived with a man she was not married to. She had what she called a very toxic relationship with him for 10 years ever since she was 18 years old.

I didn’t have time to go through her whole story which apparently got 2 million views on YouTube, but she eventually ended up in Thailand, married a Thai man, and now has two kids. Her lifestyle now is so different, so much simpler, without what many would call the finer things in life. And she is much much happier. She decided not to go after what the West decrees are necessary to happiness. From being a broken woman with low self esteem, she felt so loved and treasured by Wat when she met him, and they got married. 

In one of her reels, she made it clear that God opened doors for her so she could break free from the chains that held her down. She even mentioned being set free from demonic powers because of her drinking and the evil spirits that haunted her restaurant in New Orleans. God is ready and willing to take charge of our life if we lay it down at His feet and say, “Lord, take over!” 

The Very Best

“Jesus went up to the mountain to pray, and He spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, He called the disciples to Himself and from them He chose twelve." Luke 6:12

Before Jesus chose the twelve apostles (from the Greek word meaning "one who is sent away" like a messenger or ambassador), He prayed. This was a very important decision. Jesus prayed the whole night!

Most of the time, my prayers bring good fruit. Someone gets healed. A problem is solved. A brother gets a job. We reach somewhere safely. I have been praying big and small prayers since I was very young. But sometimes my prayers are not answered. Like when my brother-in-law passed away, my mom died, and my father died. And right now, I have been living with pulmonary hypertension for years now. It’s my thorn in the flesh! 

I look at Jesus and see that after praying the whole night up in the mountain (not in the comfort of His bed), He still chose one man, Judas Iscariot. We can't say that was a good choice, can we? But I do believe it was an inspired choice. In a way, because of Judas and what he did, we are saved. Because of Judas, God's plan was fulfilled. But what of Judas? God only knows. If only he repented.

So when my prayers aren't answered the way I want God to answer, I can only look to Jesus' prayer on the mountain and trust that God knows best. He has His own purposes. A bigger plan. A grander vision. I need only to stay in faith and trust that He has my very best in mind.