Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Treasuring

“His mother treasured all these things in her heart." Luke 2:51




How much pain can a mother go through in her lifetime? No one knows more than Mary! She was but a young girl when God called her to do a woman's job. The pain of knowing she was to be different from any other woman, set apart. While her son was growing in her womb, the uncertainty of the future, of how others would accept her and her Son. The bittersweetness of giving birth and watching Jesus grow up healthy, strong, wise and good, knowing that there was something big and terrible looming in the horizon. The suffering of having her heart torn when her only Son is tortured and reviled and then killed the cruelest way possible. 


Her reaction to all this? Treasuring. How can you treasure the pain? The suffering? The uncertainty? Obviously it is possible. By focusing on the eternal and not on what passes. Lord, may I learn to see through Your eyes. May I treasure not only the good times, but also the challenging seasons of my life. May I be so beguiled by You that I am always awaiting Your next message, Your next lesson, Your next intervention and experience for me! 




St. Joseph, pray for us! 

Monday, March 18, 2024

Sin No More

"Neither do I condemn you. Go and sin no more."John 8:10-11




In John chapter 8, we meet a woman accused of adultery. Scribes and Pharisees lead her to Jesus. Can we imagine her shame, her self-loathing, how dirty she feels when they force her to stand in front of everyone?


"Teacher," they said to Him, "This woman has been caught in the act of adultery. In the law, Moses ordered such women to be stoned. What do You have to say?" In the law, Dt. 22:24, both the man and the woman who sinned should be stoned. Why did they not bring the man if they wanted to follow the law? 


I imagine that I am one of the crowd. Do I condemn her and want to spit on her? Do I know her? Perhaps I knew her history and think, "Good! It's about time she gets her just punishment!” Do I pity her? Do I continue to jostle the crowd to see what happens out of curiosity, in satisfaction, or in revulsion, my eyes glued to the scene like it is a suspenseful thriller? What did Jesus do? He bent down and started tracing the ground with His finger. How many have attempted to surmise what He wrote? Why didn't John write down what He wrote? The thing is, He wrote, not for a second or a few seconds. He wrote all throughout the persistent questioning of the Scribes and Pharisees. He ignored them and their questions.


Finally He straightened up and said, "Let the man among you who has no sin be the first to cast a stone at her." Then He bent down and wrote on the ground again. Suddenly there is silence but for the shamed shuffling of feet. No one cast a stone, even if Jesus did not say DO NOT cast a stone in direct violation of Moses' law. I am one of the crowd, ashamed to have taken part in this poor woman's humiliation. I leave and do not know what happens next.


I believe when we sin, Jesus wants to meet us one to one. I like to think only the woman knew what Jesus wrote. Maybe John interviewed many and asked them if they knew what Jesus wrote. No one knew. But Jesus obviously thought it was important, as He spent much time writing it on the ground. Easily erased after the one it was meant for read it. When I sin, it is me and Jesus, against a condemning world. But Jesus did not come to condemn me, but to save me (Jn 3:17). When I sin, all I need is to stand, sit, kneel, or prostrate myself in front of Him. He will say, "I don't condemn you. Sin no more." And He will tell me words for me alone, no one else will know. 

Sunday, March 17, 2024

Fruitful Death

“Unless a grain of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains just a grain of wheat. But if it dies, it produces much fruit." John 12:24




The lives of saints and martyrs are so fascinating for me. Aren’t they are like grains of wheat, seeds of faith, planted in the soil of men and women whose hearts' desire is to follow God? Some of the worldly bent would say they lost their lives in vain, but in the eyes of God, these precious men and women gave up, in the words of martyr Jim Elliot, that which they could not keep to gain what they cannot lose.


In the period of about 300 years when Christians were hunted like animals and persecuted in Rome, there are amazing testimonies, too many to count, of men and women who were willing to die for Jesus. Not only were these martyrs thrown to the lions, but some were doused in oil, and used to light up the streets of Rome! 




Martyrdom of St. Ignatius of Antioch, from the Menologion of Basil II, a manuscript currently in the Vatican Library. 

St. Ignatius of Antioch has the horrific distinction of being the first Christian martyr of the Colosseum. He was thrown to the lions and was said to exclaim, “I am as the grain of the field and must be ground by the teeth of lions, that I may become fit for His table.” 


Then there is St. Lawrence of Rome. He was deacon of the Church under Pope Saint Sixtus II at the time Christianity was outlawed. When the Pope was executed, St. Lawrence was then the highest official of the Church. As such, he was tasked to bring the treasures of the Church to the Prefect of Rome, for the use of Emperor Valerian.


St. Lawrence sold the sacred vessels and gave the money to the poor. Then he gathered all the widows, the orphans, the maimed, the leprous, the sick and brought them to the Prefect. “Here are the treasures of the Church," he proclaimed.




The Prefect got furiously angry that he had St. Lawrence bound to a gridiron and ROASTED!!!! There is a legend going around that St. Lawrence quipped, "This side is done, turn me around!"


But what he really said was, “Sheltered under the name of Jesus Christ, I do not fear these pains, for they do not last long.” Tradition holds that after St. Lawrence’ death, many turned to Christ as a result of his faithfulness to God and love for the poor. Yes, truly he was a grain of wheat that died and bore much fruit. 


May we follow the examples of the saints in the sacrifices we offer for God and for our brothers and sisters every day. 

Friday, March 15, 2024

The Lord is Near to the Brokenhearted

“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; and those who are crushed in spirit he saves.” 

Psalm 34:19




Nikki Cruz was one of the street-tough gang members from a ghetto in New York evangelized by Pastor David Wilkerson. Their story is told in the amazing book and movie, “The Cross and the Switchblade” starring Pat Boone. Nikki was saved from a life of drugs, violence, witchcraft, physical and emotional abuse, and a dangerous existence as warlord and leader of the dreaded street gang, the Mau Maus. 




Now he goes around preaching God’s wonderful news of love and salvation around the world. In his book, “One Holy Fire”, and many other best selling books, he shares about how God can change our lives in amazing ways. One day he was so down and depressed because he witnessed a terrible accident in Jerez Zacatecas, Mexico. He and two of his ministry coworkers tried to help but all their efforts failed. The people in the crushed remains of the jeep had just come from their very successful evangelistic meeting at a nearby stadium and tattered Bibles and crusade leaflets were littered on the street along with broken bodies. 


“Why, God, why?” Nicky cried out weeping, helpless and frustrated. After the exhilaration of a successful crusade at a 3000-seat stadium filled to capacity, Nicky was brought to despair. He continued to wrestle with God until morning, thinking it was time to quit. At 6 am, he went out for a run. He ran and ran until he got lost. A pickup stopped, and the man inside said, “Nicky Cruz! You’re lost! Get in!” 




Nicky got in, a little wary, but the man continued to talk to him. “Don’t be afraid. What happened last night was not your fault. Things happen that we don’t always understand, but we have to trust that God is in control, in spite of how it may seem. God knows you’re hurting and confused. He knows you’re tired and ready to quit. But I’m here to tell you He isn’t finished with you yet.” The stranger said much more and even prayed for Nicky. Before he knew it, he was at the entrance of his hotel. When Nicky looked back, the truck was gone. 


Sometimes we feel overwhelmed by what life throws at us. We should always be confident that God is looking out for us. Whatever it is we are facing, know that He just isn’t finished with us yet!

Thursday, March 14, 2024

Stand in the Gap

“Moses, His chosen one, withstood him in the breach to turn back His destructive wrath.” Psalm 106:23




The Lord would speak to Moses face to face, as one speaks to a friend, it says in Exodus 33:11a. He was chosen to lead the Israelites out of Egypt. Then when the stiff-necked people angered God at Sinai, God said, “Let me alone, then, that my wrath may blaze up against them to consume them. Then I will make of you a great nation.” What did Moses do when God was ready to destroy all of Israel and just raise up a new nation out of Moses’ descendants? Did Moses just say yes, ok, do what You want, Lord? No, Moses “stood in the breach”.


Standing in the breach is a military metaphor, meaning to stand in a break made in a fortress or city wall where an army can rush in and invade. In Sinai, Moses heroically chose to confront God, standing in the gap, interceding like a warrior who tries to stop an enemy at the risk of his life. God relented in the punishment He had threatened to inflict on His people, it says in Exodus 32:14. 


We see clearly that we as Jesus’ friends (John 15:15), we may stand in the gap for others. We can plead earnestly like Moses for our family, friends, our nation, whatever we care about. Alfred, Lord Tennyson wrote in a poem, “More things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of.” We will never know how much evil has been turned aside, and how much good has gushed forth, when we are at our knees in prayer. We do not know if God really did intend on destroying the rebellious Jews, who made for themselves a molten calf and worshiped it, or if He was testing His servant Moses. 


What we must take away from this passage is we must never give up praying no matter how dire the situation. We need to stand in the breach like Moses, to intercede for one another, to fill in those gaps in one another’s spiritual armor. 


Another example is during the time of the prophet Ezekiel. God was angry because, “The people of the land practice extortion and commit robbery; they oppress the poor and needy and mistreat the foreigner, denying them justice.” And we read in Ezekiel 22:40 that God “looked for someone among them who would ...stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” Today, will He find us standing in the gap for our nation, for our leaders, for our people, for our family and friends? 

Wednesday, March 13, 2024

I Will Never Forget You

“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 numerous stories of a mother's unfailing love, but this one highlights a mother's love even in death.


36-year old Patsy Lawson left for her teaching job one morning, with her two children. She was planning to drop them off at the baby sitter’s, but they never got there. 8 1/2 hours later, her husband James found Patsy and their 5 year old daughter Susan dead inside their badly damaged car. The car was submerged, upside down, in a very cold mountain stream. James saw that even if Patsy was dead, she had been holding 2-year old Gerald's head above the 48 degree water. He was barely alive. For hours, his wife had held up the toddler's head so he could breathe, until she froze to death. 


Who can measure a mother's love? Who can measure God's love? How inconceivable is it that God, who created us in love, would give His only Son to die for us in love? That kind of love never forgets, always forgives, and is ever faithful.

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

Fountain of 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: “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, and may we bring new life, healing and transformation wherever we go. 

Monday, March 11, 2024

I Choose You!

“I create Jerusalem to be a joy...no longer shall the sound of weeping be heard there..." 

Isaiah 65:18




After a typhoon devastates parts of the Philippines, there is a lot of talk about how unprepared we are for it, especially the storm surges which are wave-like phenomena likened to tsunamis. "Why were we not informed?" people ask desperately. After a stock market crash, investors invariably ask the same thing. "Why were we not informed?"


But we cannot say the same about heaven and hell. We are inundated with warnings about what will happen after we die. In these days of wars and rumors of war, there is even more talk of the Second Coming. I am surprised how many people believe the end is near. Do we heed it? Do we believe it? Do we prepare for it? This is more devastating than any disaster and will have eternal consequences for us and our loved ones if we just push this "inside information" aside. It does not really matter after all if the end of the world is near. For each of us, we do not know when the Lord decides to bring us home and we should be prepared every day. 


Many stories in the Bible tell us that we are a people in exile. We do not belong here. There is a permanent home prepared for us. Jesus quoted Isaiah in Mark 9:48 when He described hell as a place where the worm which will eat those who go there "does not die, and the fire is not quenched."


We would definitely rather be in a place where there is unquenchable joy, and where weeping will be a thing of the past. But it really is a choice we make here and now! It’s never too late to put our lives in Jesus’ hands and say, “I choose You, Lord! You died for me on the cross. Please forgive me of my sins and save me. Help me to trust and obey You!” 

Sunday, March 10, 2024

The Wind Blows Where It Will

“…whoever lives the truth comes to the light, so his works may be clearly seen as done in God.” 

John 3:21




If we want to make a difference in the world, we need the Holy Spirit. Jesus said to Nicodemus in John, chapter 3, “You can hear the sound the wind makes, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes; so it is with everyone who is born A of the Spirit.” We never know whom God will touch and move. 


I read the New York Times best seller “same kind of different as me”, a true story written by 3 people, an international art dealer, a modern-day slave and convict from Louisiana, and the amazing woman who brought them together. The art dealer, Ron Hall, had been unfaithful to his wife Debbie, and to make up for it, he joined her serving the poor in Union Gospel Mission located in the nasty part of Fort Worth. 


Debbie dreamt of the mission several times, and there was a man in it. “It was like that verse in Ecclesiastes. A wise man who changes the city. I saw his face.” That man was Denver Moore, a black man who kept mostly to himself, hardened by living on the streets for 22 years. When Debbie recognized Denver as the man in her dream, she made her husband promise to befriend him. He did. It wasn’t easy because Denver tried his best to avoid this do-gooder rich couple.



Denver Moore and Ron Clarke

Eventually, Denver would confide in Ron and Debbie, and they found beneath his thick hide, a strong spirit, a staunch loyalty and deep understanding. “He claimed in his solitude to have heard from God.” Through his friendship with the Halls, he was inspired to help in the mission and down in the Lot, one of the worst neighborhoods in the city. He would also sing in chapel service, and was “forced” to go on a retreat with what he called “white ladies”! 


Fast forward to when Debbie got a vicious form of cancer, and while fighting for her life, Denver would give them a Word from God. One of the last ones when Debbie was very weak and tired, Denver told her she needn’t fight any longer. God said she could lay down the torch and that Denver would take it up. During Debbie’s memorial service, Denver spoke and said Debbie was the “onlyest person who looked past my skin...” While he was speaking, people were crying and laughing and clapping, and after he left the podium, the entire congregation stood and applause thundered. 



The Deborah Hall Memorial Chapel, Union Gospel Mission in Fort Worth, Texas

A fundraising drive started for a new mission facility and new chapel. So much money was raised for the mission in a very short time. Denver and Ron went around telling their story around the country, and inspired people to donate about $70 million to causes related to homelessness. The wind blew where it willed!

Saturday, March 09, 2024

Mercy Not Sacrifice

“For I desired mercy, and not sacrifice; and the knowledge of God more than burnt offerings.” Hosea 6:6 


In Matthew 12:7, Jesus quoted this verse from Hosea 6:6 when the Pharisees were on the judgment seat again, declaring what His disciples were doing was unlawful. 


When I was in High School, I had to memorize and recite Portia’s famous lines in William Shakespeare’s “The Merchant of Venice”:


“The quality of mercy is not strained. 

It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven 

Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest: 

It blesseth him that gives and him that takes. 

Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes 

The throned monarch better than his crown. 

His scepter shows the force of temporal power, 

The attribute to awe and majesty, 

Wherein doth sit the dread and fear of kings. 

But mercy is above this sceptered sway; 

It is enthroned in the hearts of kings; 

It is an attribute of God Himself; 

And earthly power doth then show like God's 

When mercy seasons justice.”


Yes, mercy is an attribute, a quality of God, love being the foundation of what He does. We do not deserve everything God does for us, especially His ultimate sacrifice of His Son Jesus. “God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Romans 5:8


Are we merciful like God? When we are in a more dominant, more powerful position, do we show compassion? I remember clearly when I did not. We had ordered a meal at a restaurant in El Nido, and I instructed the young waitress to separate the bill. When she came back, I got so irritated because she did not follow what I asked her to do. I berated her for it and I am still ashamed of my behavior. 


Mercy, as Shakespeare wrote, becomes the throned monarch better than his crown. We are all sons and daughters of the King of Kings. I believe we are here on earth to learn the ways of our Father, not only mercy, but goodness, graciousness, generosity and kindness. But most of all, love. Let us always remember to wear our invisible crown as we go about our day, and make sure that we wear it like a son or daughter of a gracious and loving God. 

Friday, March 08, 2024

Forgive Us Our Sins

"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! What are the words that we should take to God? This passage 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.


The Jews usually observe this holy day with long fasting and prayer in the synagogue. It is a day of repentance, which consists of regretting the wrong done, resolving not to do it again and confessing the sin before God. According to the Talmud, the central text of Rabbinic Judaism and the guide for the Jews’ daily life, "Yom Kippur atones for sins done against God, but does not atone for sins done against other human beings until the other person has been appeased." It is customary that the Jews repair their relationships before Yom Kippur, which is described as "a day of creating love and brotherhood, a day of abandoning jealousy and strife". The Jews believe that if one does not remove hatred from their heart on or before the Day of Atonement, “their prayers are not heard".


How about us during this season of Lent? Should we not also repent of our wrong doing against God and our fellow human beings? Perhaps the words we are to say are, “forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us." If we are sincere, I am sure His grace will allow us to enjoy His presence in His peace beyond understanding!