Were Not Our Hearts Burning Within Us?

 

“Were not our hearts burning within us...”  Luke 24:32

Cleopas and another disciple were on the road to Emmaus, which was 7 miles from Jerusalem. We can imagine them very sad and confused, talking about Jesus the prophet, and how He was crucified. When a stranger joined them, they did not recognize that He was Jesus Himself. “We were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel. It is the third day since all these things happened,” they explained to Him.

Jesus then illumined the scriptures, beginning with Moses and all the prophets and how it foreshadowed His life and death. “You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is these that bear witness of Me...For if you believed Moses, you would believe Me; for he wrote of Me.” (John 5:39, 46)

There is much in the Old Testament that parallels the life of Christ. In the life of Moses alone, there are so many similarities. Both Jesus and Moses were born during the reign of ruling tyrants who ordered the murder of Hebrew baby boys. Both Moses and Jesus were saved, came out of Egypt through water, and ended up in the desert. In the desert, Jesus fasted for 40 days and 40 nights, just as Moses did in Mount Sinai. Jesus was tested by Satan in the desert, just as Israel was severely tested in their wanderings. 

After Moses spent 40 days fasting on Mt. Sinai, he came down to bring the Jews the commandments of the covenant. After Jesus’ time in the desert, He began His public ministry with the law of the new covenant, the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5-7. Jesus’ first miracle was turning the water in stone jars into wine in Cana. Moses’ first sign was turning all the water in Egypt, even the water in stone jars, into blood. Moses chose 12 men to enter into the promised Land and 70 elders to assist him. Jesus chose 12 apostles and 70 missionary disciples. Both Moses and Jesus were transfigured on a mountaintop. 

Indeed when we consider all these and more, our hearts burn, knowing that God put into place a plan for our salvation, a plan put into place thousands of years ago! During the Passover, Christ called the cup of His blood, “my blood of the Covenant”. When Moses sealed the Covenant at the foot of Mt. Sinai, he sacrificed animals and threw the blood on the people and the altar. He said in Exodus 24:8, “Behold the blood of the Covenant which the Lord has made with you”. 

Jesus is the lamb who was slain for you and for me. 

Why are You Weeping?

 

"Woman, why are you weeping?" John 20:13

After reading the four Gospels' accounts of the resurrection story, I find it a little hard to put it all together in one cohesive story. But that is not surprising considering how sometimes there are so many versions of one story depending on who is telling it. What is different about the Gospel story is that women are the primary witnesses. During those times, women could not even appear in court as credible witnesses, so if the Gospel story was just made up, as some believe, the writers would never have used women as witnesses.

In the 20th chapter of John, after Mary Magdalene had gone early to the tomb while it was still dark, and had seen that the stone had been rolled away, she ran quickly to Simon Peter and to John to tell them. Perhaps the men hesitated, but they went with her. After seeing for themselves, that what she said was true, they each went away again. They left Mary. Isn't that strange? They did not try to investigate, they did not look for any signs around the tomb, they did not look for anyone to ask. They just left. Perhaps they were still in their "fear" mode. They had assumptions about what happened, and did not want to interfere. Jesus, their leader was dead, and they did not want to be connected to Him any longer.

But Mary, Mary wanted answers. She stayed. She did not want to leave until she had some clue as to what happened. Aren't women like that? We can't let go. We like to solve things, until we sometimes become busybodies!!! But this time, Mary gets her reward. Jesus appears and asks why she is crying. And then she recognizes Him and she is filled with joy!

Let us not be afraid to cry. Pope Francis said that sometimes tears are the lenses we need to see Jesus. Recalling the story of Mary Magdalene, the Pope said, “let us ask the Lord to give us the grace of tears — it’s a beautiful grace” — and ask for the grace “to be able to say with our lives, ‘I have seen the Lord,’ not because he appeared to me, but because I saw him with my heart.” Christian witness, he said, can be summarized as: “I live this way because I’ve seen the Lord.” (Homily about Forgiveness, April 2, 2013, at the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae)

Do we live as if we have seen the Lord? 

Easter People

 “And they departed quickly from the tomb in fear and great joy...” Matthew 28:8

In Matthew 27:65, Pilate gave strict instructions that the tomb would be sealed and guards posted to protect and secure it. The leading priests and Pharisees had informed him that Jesus claimed that He will be raised from the dead after three days. “So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day so the disciples can’t steal His body and claim He came back to life!” What this shows was that the Pharisees were really listening to Jesus. They had their ears open and their minds working, but it was with the goal of protecting themselves and their positions. It was like they had blinders on so they could only see their “truth”. What a missed opportunity!!!

The Greek word sphragidzo is used by the Chief Priests to ensure that after inspection of the tomb, a legal seal would be placed. 

 Early Sunday morning, when the women went to anoint Jesus’ body with burial spices, the unimaginable happened. An angel rolled away the stone, seal and all. The guards shook with fear and fainted. The angel told the women , “You are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here. He has been raised from the dead. Now go and give this message to His disciples, including Peter.”

The women departed quickly trembling in fear, bewilderment, but also with great joy. What a story they had to tell! What a message they had to deliver! I know we women get excited when we have a wonderful experience. We can’t wait to tell our family and friends about it. It’s like we have a scoop. Do we feel this way about Jesus? That we have a revelation, an exciting bit of news? 

How sad is it if we only get excited to tell stories about a celebrity, someone getting married, a new kind of lipstick, or where to buy a bargain! The biggest scoop is really that God loves us so much, He did everything, even up to giving His life for us in the most excruciating way. New life can begin for us the minute we accept Jesus, turn away from our sins, and claim Him as our Lord and Savior. 

As Pope John Paul II famously paraphrased St. Augustine, “We are the Easter people and hallelujah is our song."

God Never Gives Up on Us

 “Shall I not drink the cup the Father gave me?" John 18:11

"Are you not also among the disciples of this man?" the woman servant asked Peter. John 18:17

I cannot decide which verse to think about. Both speak to me eloquently. The first one tells me how in following Jesus, we too should go after God's will no matter the difficulty and sacrifice. The second verse shows that even if we desire to follow Jesus, even if we know Him intimately like Peter, there will be times that we will betray Him and say, "No I do not know Him!"

The important thing is not to despair like Judas, but to repent, continue to drink of the cup, knowing that God will do what we can't. We need to always remember the scene in Mark 16:7, when the women could not find Jesus' body in the tomb and the angel said, "He is risen. Go tell the disciples AND PETER that He is going to Galilee."

When we fail, we should never, never despair or lose hope. God never gives up on us!

Forever Promises

 “This cup is the new covenant in my blood.” 1 Corinthians 11:25

There is a short book written by Messianic Jew Jamie Lash, which speaks about the “Cup of the Covenant”. It is very interesting that in the first century, when a young Jewish man was of marriageable age, his family would choose his wife for him. After a “bride price” was agreed upon by both families, the young man’s father would pour out a cup of wine and present it to his son. This “Cup of the Covenant” was part of the engagement ceremony. The son would turn to the young woman and offer her the wine cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood, which I offer to you.” He was in effect saying, “I love you, and I’ll give you my life. Will you marry me?” Then it will be the woman’s choice whether to accept him as her husband or not. 

In the same way, Jesus is offering the “Cup of the Covenant” to us, saying, “I love you and I give you My life.” He is actually, literally, proposing to us. Do we accept His love and His sacrifice? Do we give Him our life in response? Jesus is the only one who can promise forever!

Surely it is Not I, Lord?

 “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” Matthew 26:21

As we near the climax of the Lenten season, we accompany Jesus as He journeys toward His crucifixion.

While they were eating the Passover, He reveals, “One of you will betray me.” Judas asks, “Surely it is not I, Rabbi?” Peter then bravely pronounces, “Even if everyone else has fallen away from you, I will never fall away.” Jesus had to disillusion him and reveal to  him, “Amen I say to you, that in this night, before the rooster crows, you will deny me three times.” (Mt. 26:34) 

Sometimes we are like Judas, betraying Jesus when we sin against Him knowingly. Sometimes we are like Peter, desiring with all our heart to lay down our life for the Lord, and then denying Him to others with our words and actions. Are we brave enough to stand up for Jesus? 

We have to build up our faith because the time is coming when we will have to be brave just to stand on the side of truth and righteousness. During the Holocaust, a Pastor is mentioned in Corrie ten Boom’s story. When the ten Boom family was helping to save a Jewish baby from being killed, the Pastor dissuaded them, asking how could they put their lives in danger for one baby. “You will all be killed!” he warned them.

Corrie’s 85-year old father Casper answered, “It would be an honor to die for God’s ancient people!” Casper and his family continued to aid the Jews to escape until they were arrested. He died in Scheveningen Prison 10 days after his arrest. Casper ten Boom and his family had a faith that sees beyond suffering, pain and trials. Do we?

To Know You

 “O God, You have taught me from my youth, and till the present I proclaim Your wondrous deeds.” Psalm 71:17

It appears that the reason my blood clots abnormally is I have an inherited disorder of the blood called Thalassemia. I have been joking that it is because I am really Jewish. Sephardic and Mizrahi Jews are routinely screened for beta thalassemia. 

Joking aside, if we have accepted Jesus as our brother, we are adopted into His family. And as adopted sons and daughters, we should learn more about our family, what we have inherited, how to be a good member of this royal family, even about the family business. Is that not common sense? It is supremely important to get to know our Father, our brother Jesus, how they think, how they want us to act. We don’t want to be like the prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32) who rejected the Father who loved him so much that the Father waited and longed for his return even if his son had insulted him! We don’t want to miss out on a life here on earth surrounded by friendship with the One who knows us best, joy that the world can never give, peace beyond understanding. Even in the midst of trial and tribulations, we can know we are more precious to God than anything He has created. Let us waste time with Him who was, who is, and who is to come this Holy Week. We will never regret it. 

Infinitely Precious

 

“The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom should I fear? The Lord is my life’s refuge; of whom should I be afraid?” Psalm 27:1

A few years ago, when my pulmonary doctor talked to me and Luigi, we learned that because of a congenital condition, I developed blockage in both my lungs as a consequence of pulmonary embolism. Blood could not carry the oxygen where it needed to go. No wonder I was usually breathless! Another doctor said it was a miracle I was alive, and it was a miracle we have our son Josh! “Women with antithrombin III deficiency are prone to pregnancy-associated venous thromboembolism,” I read. I had a normal pregnancy except for a scare which turned out to be Josh hiccuping in my womb and bed rest towards the end of my pregnancy because of pre-eclampsia.

I can see that God wanted us to have a child, and a wonderful son at that, in spite of my condition, in spite of my being 38 years old! I continuously marvel at his goodness and faithfulness in giving us the gift of Josh. I see that even if there are natural causes conspiring against us, if God wants something for us, He will make a way even if there is no way. 

During the start of the Holy Week, it is good to pause and think of what God has done on Calvary for us. With all our sin, it would have been impossible to be with Him in heaven, to even get close to a sinless God. But He made a way where there is no way because He wants us there with Him! He wants us to be part of His divine family, His adopted sons and daughters. Thank You Lord for conquering the impossible for us! We should be insignificant but we aren’t! You love us so much You sent Your Son Jesus to get us into heaven! I see how infinitely precious we are to You! 

Why, God?

 “This night, all of you will have your faith in Me shaken...” Matthew 26:31

Jesus knew His disciples would have a difficult time continuing to believe in Him that night of the Passover. Although Peter said to Him in reply, “Though all may have their faith in You shaken, mine will never be,” Jesus knew Peter would deny Him three times. Sure enough, before the night was over, Peter had said he did not know Jesus three times. Peter wept bitterly at his betrayal of His master and Lord. 

We can’t escape trials. We ask God sometimes why are You allowing this to happen? Like when Emma McKinley lost her balance while she was at work in 1993, and fell from a storage loft. She struck her head, passed out, and developed a widespread nerve disorder that left her in pain and dependent on a wheelchair. Why God? she asked as her condition progressed. 

Her neck and spine twisted, blood clots formed in her legs and doctors urged her to have her legs amputated. Still, she prayed for healing and held fast to her hope in Jesus. Two nights before Christmas in 2011, Emma was alone at home. She fell from her wheelchair and was unable to get up for 8 hours. Then she saw Jesus come to her in a bright white robe. When He raised her to her feet, her bones cracked, and together they began to walk. Emma later said, “Jesus has never let me down. His Word promises He will never leave us or forsake us.”

Jesus knows that there are times that will test our faith, that will shake our trust in Him just like that night of the Passover. After the meal, He led the disciples to Gethsemane, where He told them to keep watch with Him and pray for an hour. He always found them asleep! I am sure if they prayed with Him, they would have been stronger and would have been given the grace to understand. And so it is with us. 

We need to pray for grace even if we do not deserve it. Grace is power. St. Paul wrote, “By the grace of God I am what I am, and His grace toward me was not in vain. On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them, though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me” (1 Cor. 15:10). We know that St. Paul was a powerhouse of the early Church, but it was the grace of God working in him that made him what he was.  Like the apostles and St. Paul, and Emma McKinley, we need grace to get us through these dark times with our faith stronger than ever. 

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)