Covenant of Peace

 

"I will make with them a covenant of peace." Ezekiel 37:26

When we are in our comfort zone, we do not feel how important this promise of God is. 

In July 2007, 23 young Korean missionaries were captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan. Two of them, the Pastor of Saemmul Presbyterian Church and a 29 year old member of the church, were executed before an agreement was reached with the South Korean government. One of the missionaries who was released shared that although they had this horrible experience of being incarcerated, knowing that martyrdom was a real possibility, they also had a very concrete sense of God's presence with them. The last day when all the 16 women and 7 men were all together, before they were divided into groups and brought to farmhouses in remote areas, they had an amazing time of fellowship, surrendering their lives to the Lord, and telling Him they were willing to die for His glory. One of them who had a small Bible, ripped it apart into 23 pieces, so each would have a portion of Scripture to read. 

The most amazing part is that after they were freed and they would get together, some would say, "Don't you wish you were still there?" Many of them were able to experience a deep communion with God, a peace that defies understanding, that they have not felt since. 

Dear Jesus, may I abide in You and Your words abide in me. Thank You for this covenant of peace! 

Mighty Champion

 

“The Lord is with me, like a mighty champion...” Jeremiah 20:11

Christianity is distinguished from other religions by the doctrine of grace, which offers salvation as a free gift from God through Jesus Christ. In the Quran, 16:97, the good follower of Islam gets to Paradise according to good character and good deeds and even then he is not sure of the reward. In Buddhism, if you follow the Noble Eight Fold Path, you will attain Nirvana. Hinduism believes in reincarnation based on karma, which seems to be a force in a person’s present that affects what happens in future lives. 

None of these other belief systems seem to have a mighty champion who does all the work for us. One of my favorite verses is from Exodus 14:13, when Moses tells the people to just stand firm when they were being pursued by Pharaoh’s mighty army with 600 of Pharaoh’s best chariots and charioteers. The Jews were caught beside the shore with nowhere to hide. 

Moses reassured, “Fear not! Stand your ground and you will see the victory the Lord will win for you today...The Lord Himself will fight for you, you only have to keep still.” We know what happened. The waters parted, the Israelites went through, and the chariots drowned when the waters closed in on them. Indeed when Jesus became a man and was crucified, He took all our sins with Him. He is our mighty champion. All we need to do is repent, believe in Him, accept His saving work for us and receive His Holy Spirit. Pure grace. Pure gift. 

Thank You Lord for grace, a way out of sin and a way into Your family. 

Hedieh, It’s Me!

 “I solemnly declare it; before Abraham came to be, I AM.” John 8:58

After arguing with Jesus, the Jews picked up stones to kill Him. They were aghast that He claimed the divine name of YAHWEH. This name, frequently translated as “I AM THAT I AM”, was the answer God gave Moses when he asked, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is His name?’ Then what shall I tell them?”

God has been revealing His name to His people as He does not want to be an anonymous force in our lives. He has a name and He wants us to address Him personally. All the more so when Jesus came as a man. He reveals Himself as the God who is always with us, present to His people in order to save us. 

Even today, if we sincerely call out to Him, He will answer. Hedieh Mirahmadi Falco, a former Muslim leader who has worked with King Charles, President Obama, and President Trump, was very devout, wore a hijab, fasted, and prayed five times a day. But with all her striving, the Islamic clerics she asked would laugh and tell her, “Only Allah will say at the very end if you are going to heaven.”

After 25 years, Hedieh left Islam and felt lost and broken. Then she clicked on a link and watched a pastor preach a simple gospel. He said basically, “Jesus loves you, turn and repent of your sins, and Jesus will save you.” She thought now why didn’t anyone ever tell me about this Jesus? 

When she was binge watching this pastor’s messages every day, excited that this Jesus of the Bible could promise her an eternity in heaven, she would pray, “Lord God, whoever You are, reveal Yourself to me.” And she audibly heard the voice of Christ say, “Hedieh, it’s me.” It was her road of Damascus moment and there was no turning back. 

Now, Hedieh is helping equip and encourage new believers through her books, and Resurrect Ministry. 

Father, I thank You that You reveal Yourself to Your people. You did not hide Yourself from us, but You have revealed Your name, Your character, Your love and faithfulness for us, Your people. 

Let It Be Done

 “Behold I am the handmaiden of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38

Today most Christians around the world celebrate the Feast of the Annunciation of the Lord as we commemorate the visit of the angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary. Gabriel informs her that she has found favor with God and she will bear a son. He gives her a series of clues about this baby: He shall be named Jesus, He will be great, He will be called Son of the Most High, God will give Him the throne of David his father, He will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. Whew! That’s a whole lot to swallow! Especially for a young Jewish girl who was hardly out of her teens. 

Mary knew exactly what the angel was talking about because she grew up pondering God’s word. She was to be the sign God would give, the virgin with child that the prophet Isaiah foretold to King Ahaz (Isaiah 8:10). Jesus was to be the the star that rose from Jacob spoken of in Numbers 24:17. Her Son Jesus was the descendant of King David prophesied in 2 Samuel 7:12-16. The coming Messiah was spoken about throughout the Hebrew Bible and the Jews, Mary included, longed for His coming. 

When she voiced her assent, “May it be done to me according to your word,” the Holy Spirit came upon her, and the power of the Most High overshadowed her. It was not until nine months later that the Word became flesh and dwelt among men. 

Sometimes we expect God to answer our prayers right away. We get impatient and sometimes think He is not listening. We are too influenced by the fast pace of this world. God has His own timing. We should train ourselves to have an obedient, waiting, and patient spirit like Mary. “Let it be done unto me according to Your Word.” Then we will see how sweet is the fruit of our prayer. 

Spend Time With the Lord

 “Moses accordingly made a bronze serpent and mounted it on a pole, and whenever anyone who had been bitten by a serpent looked at the bronze serpent, he recovered.” Numbers 21:9

This is a very strange event and shows us how important it is to pray to the one true God. The Jews had been complaining about their food. They said it was disgusting. This was after they had experienced many miracles from God, their freedom from slavery, their escape through the Red Sea, manna and quail from heaven, water from the rock, God thundering His words for all to hear, the pillar of fire by night and the cloud over the Tabernacle to show where they should go. One would think that the Jews who knew God personally would stop complaining but they were not grateful for God’s provision. It reminds me of the times I am ungrateful even with God’s gifts. Like when I am having a hard time with our business and it becomes a burden and not a blessing. 

In punishment, God sent saraph serpents which bit people and many of them died. The people then realized their sin in complaining against God and also against Moses who was leading them. Moses, who bore no ill will against the people, prayed and God instructed him what to do. 

In “Pondering the Word- The Anawim Way”, I noted, “God wants the people to see what they are doing to themselves, so He allows them to experience some of the bitter consequences of sin: they must face the poisonous serpents. But because God is more interested in saving than in punishing, he then instructs Moses to mount a serpent on a pole for the people to look at. It is as if he were saying to his rebellious children, ‘Look and see how your complaining and impatience is like a poison which is killing my life in you. Look clearly at that so that you can repent of this deadly behavior and be saved.’”

Today, a bronze serpent will not save us. But Moses knew God, had a close intimate relationship with Him. In Exodus 33:11, we can read that Moses spoke to God as a man speaks to his friend. In Exodus 33:17, God says to Moses, “You have found favor with Me, and you are My friend.” Do we want to be God’s friend? I know He wants to be ours.

That’s why He sent Jesus who was mounted on the cross so we could be saved, like the Jews in the desert. This Lent, let’s spend more time conversing with the Lord so we can understand and love Him more.

Be Both Martha and Mary!

 

I have to confess that after I am Mary in the morning, after I read the Word, attend online Mass, and pray, I am Martha  all the way through to when I close my eyes and rest at night.

I am so preoccupied with the so many things I need to do in a day! I like the story in John 11:19-27, because even if Martha has gone down in Biblical history as a woman so preoccupied with "work", she is also the woman who gave one of the clearest confessions of faith, “Yes, Lord. I have come to believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, the One who is coming into the world." (John 11:27)

Martha is the woman who had the temerity to approach Jesus, and say reproachfully, “Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But even now I know that whatever you ask of God, God will give you."

Martha was the woman who asked the impossible, and received the impossible. Lazarus, her brother, rose from the dead!

So let us be BOTH Martha and Mary, and see miracles happen in our lives!

Save Us Lord!

 “O Lord my God, in You I take refuge; save me from all my pursuers and rescue me." Psalm 7:2

Have we ever prayed to God to be saved from sinning? In this psalm, David implores God to rescue him from Cush who was a follower of Saul who wanted to kill him. David says that if God doesn't save him, he will be mauled like a lion's prey, and torn to pieces. Isn't it amazing that David felt like this, considering he was able to beat the giant Goliath? David obviously did not depend on his own strength but God's. 

We do not realize it but we have an enemy who hates us. We too should ask God to save us from this ancient foe, the one who has his eye on us, waiting to pounce. In 1 Peter 5:8 we are warned, "Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour." I think this archenemy looks for where we are weakest and wants to attack us right there. In Gen. 4:7 we learn that  sin crouches at our door. "Its desire is for you, to overpower you, but you must master it.”

Lord, I know, like David, that I am not strong or wise enough to fight this enemy on my own. Save me and help me to be master over sin. As a nation, “we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 6:12) Lord, save us, we take our refuge in You, rescue us! 

The Sword of the Spirit

 

“One does not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes forth from the mouth of God.” Matthew 4:4

When Jesus fasted and prayed in the desert for 40 days and 40 nights, He was tempted by the devil. Whenever we fast and pray, we are always distracted by the enemy as well. In our commitment to devote more time to prayer, the enemy will remind us of other things we need to do first, or which are more enjoyable. If we decide to fast, we see food, and we think maybe just a little, I will fast another time. 

We can learn from how Jesus was victorious in defeating the devil, the enemy who always looks for ways for us to fail in our decision to be closer to God. Jesus fought the devil with God’s Word. We should take to heart St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians 6:10+, “Be strong in the Lord and in His mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes....Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground....In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.”

The sword of the Spirit is God’s Word! When I feel discouraged, I can fight it with God’s Word! It can be very disheartening that 6 years after my open heart surgery, I am still breathless, need oxygen 24/7 and get exhausted right away. But I trust in God’s plan and know it is so easy for Him to heal me right away. I know that “in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose.” (Romans 8:28) And I need not be afraid. “Stand firm and you will see the deliverance the LORD will bring you today.” (Exodus 14:13)

Faith is the Key

 

“Faith is the key...” Romans 4:16

In my other Bible, I read, “It all depends on faith, everything is grace.” 

One time I had my hair cut by my favorite cutter. My sister Peggy told me not to have it cut too short and I did give Bernie that instruction but unfortunately I asked him to tell me his story and it was a long story so my hair got shorter and shorter. 

Bernie’s ‘salon’, if it can be called that, is like a hole in the wall next to a dingy car repair shop. He charges P60 (about a dollar), but I am more satisfied every time I go to him than when I go to expensive parlors. I asked him where he learned to cut hair. He comes from Isabela in the Cagayan Valley and his father was a poor farmer. He wanted to go to school but there was no money for any of the family to go to school. He asked a relative in Manila if he could stay with her for a while and she agreed. In Manila, even while he was still a teenager, he would find jobs as a houseboy. On his third job, his boss said, “Bernie, you’re not going to be a houseboy forever. I will pay for the haircut and grooming course in TESDA so you can learn a skill.” After he finished that, and he went to school, he would charge P5.00 to cut hair. All his classmates would have their hair cut and he would be able to buy school supplies and books. He is the only one of his siblings who can read and write. Eventually he sent his nephew and niece to school and they graduated and have their own homes, and cars and families. He bought his brother in the province a rice field. He sends money home to his mother regularly. 

While telling his story, he would call himself “bakla” (homosexual), and he told me most of his friends could not save any money because they would “rampa” all the time. What’s rampa, I asked him. “Go after men. Different men who just fool them for their money.” 

While talking to him, I was praying if there was anything God wanted me to say, but Bernie would keep talking, and cutting. He said he was “palasimba”, a churchgoer. He would pray to God, “Lord, please give me a house. Even if it’s just a ‘kubo’, a hut.” Eventually he was able to buy a house in a gated subdivision. He said he was so grateful to God for his blessings. “Lord, I only asked for a hut, and you gave me a concrete home.”

Yes, faith is the key. I think God gave each of us a key. It’s up to us to use it to open doors, or to let the key sit unused. Sometimes we even lose the key. But if we love God, love those God gives us to love, work hard, use the key, other doors will appear and we can use the same key to open more doors. 

A Mother’s Love

 

“Can a mother forget her infant, be without tenderness for the child of her womb? Even should she forget, I will never forget you.” Isaiah 49:15

There are a growing number of women who do not want children. They either want to get married or not, but they do not want to have children. There’s even an acronym, ‘DINK’, for a couple with double incomes but no kids that’s quite popular on Tiktok although it’s been around since the 1980s. They prefer to travel, grow their career, or plan for early retirement.

But there are women like Maria Cristina Cella Mocellin, who just appreciate being a mother so much, she will do anything to give her child the very best. Maria Cristina met her husband Carlo and married him in 1991. They already had two children when it was discovered that Maria Cristina’s cancer which had been treated during her younger years, had recurred. She chose to forgo chemotherapy to protect her unborn son. After giving birth in July 1994, she underwent treatment, but it was too late. The cancer had spread. She left her family on October 22, 1995, at the age of 26.

Her cause for beatification began in 2008, and on August 30, 2021, Pope Francis declared her Venerable, recognizing her heroic virtues as a mother. 

New Life

 

“Where these waters flow they refresh..." Ezekiel 47:9

How good it is to make God a part of our life each day! Like a constant stream of water that passes through dry parched land, that is our God's touch on our lives! But it is also so easy for us to let the desert take over. In Israel, they have made their deserts bloom and they fight desertification, the desert’s continuing conquest of their land. The scientists learned that they have to direct the brackish water directly to the roots, not allowing the salt in the water to touch the green leaves. They use the drip-irrigation system which allows the nutrients to drip drip drip slowly soaking the roots and minimizing evaporation. 

We can liken this to our journey as Christian pilgrims. We too are constantly at the mercy of enemies who want to attack our faith in God, and our Christian lifestyle. This is why we need to be connected to the power of God and His Word. How? Day by day, drip by drip being connected to the Source of living water. 

In The Anawim Way, I read this passage some years ago: “Ezekiel’s vision of the abundant and life-giving water flowing from the Temple is clearly symbolic. He is describing, not a physical river which flows into a desert in the Middle East, but a spiritual river of grace which flows into the desert of humanity, giving life to the hearts of all who believe.” St. John the Evangelist once had a vision of this same ‘river’. He speaks of it in the Book of Revelation: ‘Then the angel showed me the river of life-giving water, sparkling like crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb’ (Rev 22:1). On Good Friday, we will see the true Source of this river. It springs forth from the pierced side of Jesus on the Cross. All grace flows from the Sacred Heart of Jesus, the ‘fountain of life and holiness’. 

In Ezekiel’s vision in chapter 47, the prophet describes the water of life. “Wherever this water flows, everything will live” (v.9). Through the water of life from the wounds of Christ, Ezekiel’s vision is fulfilled.

Lord, by Your Spirit, may we, Your people, Your Church, be constantly connected to You, refreshed by You, and may we bring new life, healing and transformation wherever we go. 

Still Have Work To Do

 “I create Jerusalem to be a joy...” Isaiah 65:18

“L'Shana Haba'ah B'Yerushalayim“, the Jews pray after Passover or Yom Kippur. It means, “Next year in Jerusalem!” Before, the Jews of the Diaspora would pray this with longing to return to their very own country after having been dispersed. Now “Jerusalem” in this prayer refers to the future city and the Temple that will be rebuilt when the Messiah comes. It is also the New Jerusalem, or Heavenly City, a symbolic and literal representation of heaven on earth described in Revelation 21.

I have been listening to Corrie Ten Boom’s preaching, her stories about Betsie her sister, and the horrors of Ravensbrück. At 85 years old, she needed a pacemaker. She said she would have wanted to go to heaven but apparently God had other plans. After traveling all continents of the world, preaching the good news, starting when she was in her mid-50s, she was able to settle in her very own home with a garden in Placentia, California. God promised her that she would be able to reach more people than she did going from place to place. On April 15, 1983, Corrie Ten Boom passed away on her 91st birthday. Jews believe that only very special, blessed people are given the honor of dying on their birthday.

She is now in Jerusalem, city of joy, city of the living God. One day we may be able to meet her and see her smiling face. But not yet. Right now, we still have work to do- God’s work, just like Corrie, that He has prepared for us to do. 

The Lord Sees the Heart

 “Do not judge from his appearance or from his lofty stature, because I have rejected him. Not as man sees does God see, because he sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.” 1 Samuel 16:7

Every day we are bombarded with beautiful people on our feeds in Facebook, Instagram, etc. I am reminded of the book, The Picture of Dorian Gray, written by Oscar Wilde in 1890. It is about a beautiful young man who sold his soul to keep his youth. Instead of his face showing the hedonistic, corrupt life he chose, it was his portrait that reflected his many sins and the picture became more and more grotesque every day. 

In contrast I offer Agnes Gonxha Bojaxhiu, known as Mother Teresa to most of us. She was not beautiful. It is interesting what Bill McKendry, a top advertising executive with Leo Burnett thought of Mother Teresa’s feet when he interviewed her in 1996. 

She was wearing sandals as she usually does, and he was startled at how tremendously deformed, calloused and warped her feet were. 

“With toes that were twisted, nails that were missing, and bruises everywhere, Bill felt they were by far the ugliest feet he’d ever seen. He also knew they were the most beautiful he’d ever seen. Those were the feet of someone who lived life passionately in service to others. Those were the feet of someone who didn’t take the easy path or make life solely about themselves. Those were the feet of a woman who had every reason to retire, to not travel, to finally relax, but with failing health traveled to the United States to raise awareness and money for the neediest of the world.

They were, in other words, the feet of a living saint. “ 

God certainly saw beyond the wrinkled face, hands and feet of Mother Teresa. He saw her desire to give Him her all in spite of the profound spiritual loneliness she felt detailed in her letters to her spiritual directors. 

Father, may You walk with me, and always lead me to grow closer to You, until my heart is pleasing to You in every way.  

Have Mercy!

 ‘O God, be merciful to me a sinner.’ Luke 18:13

If we listen or read St. Teresa of Avila’s autobiography, she says a lot about being wicked, and sinning against God, but does not say what it is she has done. Luigi said that when you are close To God, you are more aware of your sins. In her autobiography St. Teresa wrote that she was ‘very fond of St. Augustine...for he was a sinner too.’

What impressed me is that she spent a lot of her time talking to God. Although she is the total opposite of Brother Lawrence, who was a simple man, unpolished and awkward, they both ‘practiced the presence of God’. In contrast, St. Teresa was sophisticated, her father was one of the richest men in Avila, and when she was young, she was very concerned about her looks, make up, and even perfume. 

Much to the disappointment of her father, she entered the religious life at the age of 20. She was sick for a long time, staying in bed for almost a year. What pained her about her sickness was she could not pray all alone as there was always someone watching out for her. 

Eventually, she found the laxity of her Order disturbed her. There were too many visitors of high rank, and unsubstantial conversations that intruded on the practice of contemplation and solitude. She then founded a ‘reformed’ Carmelite convent with stricter monastic regulations which included flagellation! She was a reformer and during the last three years of her life, she founded several convents and even men’s monasteries. 

What transformed this frivolous young woman interested in romance novels into one who only lived to serve God with her whole heart, soul and body? We can say it was the mercy and grace of God. 

St. Teresa de Avila wrote: “Trust God you are exactly where you are meant to be. May you not forget the infinite possibilities that are born of faith. May you use the gifts that you have received, and pass on the love that has been given to you. May you be content knowing you are a child of God. Let this presence settle into your bones, and allow your soul the freedom to sing, dance, praise and love. It is there for each and everyone of us.”

Have mercy on me, O Lord, a sinner! 

Take with You Words

 "Take with you words and return to the Lord." Hosea 14:3

Sometimes all I do is talk, talk, talk to God, not allowing Him to say a word to me! But then I have a long seemingly unending list of prayer requests! I do not think those are the “words” this passage suggests we take to the Lord. 

Then what are the words that we should say to Him? This verse from Hosea is always recited on the Sabbath preceding Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement, the holiest day of the year for the Jewish people. (Hebrew: [ˈjom kiˈpuʁ], or יום הכיפורים) I love how the Hebrew script looks! 

The Jews usually observe this holy day with long fasting and prayer in the synagogue. It is a day of atonement and repentance.

“Return, O Israel, to the Lord, your God; you have collapsed through your guilt. Take with you words, and return to the Lord.” In Hebrew, ‘words’ means things, realities, and the connotation is we need to repent sincerely. Rabbi Len Ben Sisi wrote that the power of repentance was so great it soars all the way up to the throne of glory. 

Yes, Lord, forgive us for abandoning You. Show us the way back to You! Father, we want to be pleasing in Your sight. Wash us clean of our iniquities, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." After that, I am sure His grace will allow us to enjoy and bask in His presence!