The Making of a Saint

“The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patient endurance, kindness, generosity, faith, self-control and chastity.” Galatians 5:20

These are the values of the Kingdom of God, God’s values. Scott Hahn said that this world is a vast, intricate, Saint-making machine. Just yesterday my patience was sorely tested by one of my staff, and two customer service reps from Smart. Was I kind? No. Did I exhibit self-control? No. Hopefully as I get older, I will learn to be more patient and more in control of my words. The hope is that we exhibit more and more of the fruits of the Holy Spirit as the days go by. 

I like reading about saints. There are of course our favorite saints who really exhibited love, joy, peaceful endurance, etc. But then I read about Padre Pio who was known to have an awful temper. In spite of that, he was beatified in 1999 and canonized in 2002. From the age of 5, he knew he wanted to dedicate his life to serving God. At the young age of 15, he entered the noviciate of the Capuchin friars at Morcone. 

Padre Pio 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." Here we see this holy man’s advice to us who easily lose patience. We need to recognize our faults, try to correct them and moderate our impulses. Padre Pio also suggested weekly confession. Just as a regular cleaning of our homes is necessary, so too we should see what unnecessary baggage we carry in our souls. I am sure he too experienced disappointment in himself, and that’s why he always said to his visitors, “Pray, hope and don’t worry.” 

Lord, thank You for the example of Your saints. They were not perfect but they lived their lives for You. May we too never give up striving to live holy lives, going back to You and drinking from the living water of  Your Spirit. 

The Sign of Jonah

“The only sign I will give them is the sign of Jonah.” Luke 11:29

The sign of Jonah is a call to repent. In verse 32 of the same chapter, we can read what Jesus said to the “evil generation” listening to Him, “At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation and condemn it, because at the preaching of Jonah they repented, and there is something greater than Jonah here.” 

Such an understatement! Jesus is much greater than Jonah, much greater than all the prophets combined! His grace-filled Words fill the Gospels, and the Old Testament all point to Him! When two young Muslim girls read Jesus’ words, they converted to Christianity, and put 20,000 Bibles in mailboxes in Iran. They started two house churches, and spread the good news. 

In 2009, Maryam Rostampour and Marziyeh Amirizadeh were arrested and put in the notoriously brutal Evin Prison in Iran. At first, they were terrified, and prayed that they would be released. But as it became clear they had a purpose being there, they became a sign of Jonah to the inmates, the prostitutes, and a sign of hope for the desperate. Even though it was dangerous to speak loudly, they would sing in tongues, and the Moslems around would feel the presence of God. Many would cry, confess their sins and turn back to God. 

After 259 days, they were both released. Many Christians, the UN, even the Pope wrote letters to the Iranian government. Now they are free, they wrote their story in a book, Captive in Iran, and vow to be a voice for those who are still in prison. 

Lord, there is so much evil in the world. Like Maryam and Marziyeh, may we be a sign of Jonah where we are. But more importantly, may we sit at Your feet every day. Soften our hearts that we may receive You who are the source of all good things. 

Choose Wisdom

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain wisdom of heart.” Psalm 90:12

When Solomon was young, God asked him to ask for anything he wanted, and out of all the things he could choose, Solomon asked for wisdom. Our choices make us, make our future, make our families, make our character. In this world, there is no lack of examples of men who have chosen the gold and the power of this world instead of the treasures of heaven. That is what we can call short-sighted thinking. 

Solomon chose wisdom, and God gave him everything in addition to wisdom. In Wisdom 7, we can read, “I pleaded for the spirit of wisdom...Yet all good things together came to me in her company, and countless riches at her hands.” Wisdom is the key that opens every door, but oddly enough, wisdom is not something we pray for every day! 

We need to start listening for God’s guidance every day, so that if we listen to Him for little things, we will hear Him clearly for the big things. Will I change my job? Will I move my family to the US? Will I marry him? How can I solve my problem? What should I do? To receive God’s wisdom for the hard things, we need to go to him every day when we do not have a decision to make, a hard choice, a dilemma, a crisis. We need to train ourselves to listen to His still, small voice. I think hearing from God is the most important thing in our life! 

Our Inheritance!

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

Like many Filipinos, I have taken part in discussions about the Ultra Lotto 1.1 billion peso jackpot ($20.7 million). One day my helper, ate Lucy, said she does not want to win because her life might get wrecked. She knows of many quite depressing stories of lotto winners. One man committed suicide after spending all his winnings. Several had court cases against family members or friends. The brother of one winner hired a hitman to kill him and his wife! Statistics show that however big their winnings, 70% of lotto winners lose all their money in 5 years! 

We are all heirs of a much more than a billion dollar inheritance. We do not need to buy a ticket. We do not need to dream up any number combinations. Our inheritance is imperishable, undefiled and unfading, and reserved for us in heaven (1 Peter 1:4). Saint Paul prays for us that the eyes of our heart be enlightened, so that we can understand the wonderful future we are promised, and see the rich and glorious inheritance we have been bequeathed (Ephesians 1:18). 

Indeed, if we only knew how real this inheritance is, compared to the deceptive gold, silver and diamonds of this world, we will spend more time scouring the Bible in search of real treasure! 

The Finger of God

 "by the finger of God..." Luke 11:20

In the 11th chapter of Luke, Jesus casts out a spirit from a man who could not speak, and He said, "But if it is by the FINGER OF GOD that I cast out devils, then the reign of God is upon you."

That's bad news for people who don't believe in Jesus, who think He is a fictional character, or even just a prophet.

The first time this phrase appears in the Hebrew Bible is in the Book of Exodus, chapter 8, verse 19, when the magicians of Pharaoh, impressed by the miracle where all the dust of Egypt turned into swarms of gnats, proclaimed, "This is the FINGER OF GOD." The second time is in Exodus 31:18: "As the Lord finished speaking with Moses on Mt. Sinai, He gave him two stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the Covenant, written by the FINGER OF GOD." The third and last time the phrase appears in the Hebrew Bible, Moses says in Deuteronomy 9:10, "The Lord gave me two stone tablets inscribed by the FINGER OF GOD."

This is just one of the many things Jesus said that proves He is claiming to be God, I think. Although many listened to Him and believed, many more rejected Him and His teachings. The Pharisees and teachers of religious law were furious with Him and hostile, such that they were always looking for ways to trap Him with their questions.

How about us? Do we believe that Jesus is God, that we want to listen to Him and obey? Or are we looking for proof that He is not God, so we do not have to take heed of His Words and change the way we live?

Lord, may I allow You to write Your Words in my heart and free me from all the ideas that do not come from You!

(Original painting on Bible altered with Prisma app)

Ask!

“For whoever asks, receives...” Luke 11:10

Many of us ask things of God. Some would say, "But God is not listening." And many people have become atheists because they ask how can a good God permit so much evil and injustice in the world? Indeed, that is a question that we can never satisfactorily answer even if we win the Ultra Lotto billion peso pot and pay every wise man to come up with his own dissertation. 

But another question is, how can a righteous and holy God even look at us, and consider us His children when we are a sinful and rebellious people? How can He forgive us for rejecting Him again and again? Is it not when a judge pardons a guilty man and sets him free, we cry out in disgust, "Corrupt!"? Why will a pure and blameless God listen and answer our prayers when we repeatedly turn away from Him?

Is it not because He sees Jesus? Jesus who took our sins, our perversities with Him on the cross. It is also Jesus who advises us to persist in our prayers until God sees His Son asking in our place! Oh Lord, how deep is Your mercy and grace! Thank You for sending Your Beloved Son to stand convicted in our place! 

WOYWW: Teach Us to Pray

Starting my painting.

"Lord, teach us to pray..." Luke 11:1

Jews are supposed to pray three times a day and they have a special prayer book called a Siddur which contains the set orders of daily prayers. Readings from the Torah, the  writings of Moses and the Nevi'im, writings of the Prophets, form part of their prayer book. So I think it is natural to conclude that the disciples had a reasonable idea of how to pray to God. But they saw something in how Jesus prayed that made them long to pray the way He did. 

They watched Jesus pray many times. They saw how close He was to the Father, and they wanted that for themselves. WE should want that for ourselves! We should always want to grow in our relationship with our Father. Brother Lawrence wrote in "The Practice of the Presence of God" that he was united with God during the day as he went about his work of cleaning the floor and washing the dishes. There are many ways to practice the presence of God in the course of our day. We just have to 'mind' He is there, and not just there during our morning or evening prayers. 

Lord, teach us to pray. Teach us to grow closer to You. Teach us not to forget You when we are busy. Teach us to carve some time out of our day to be with You, and only You. You are the Governor of Galaxies, but You are also our Father. We long to be with You in heaven one day, our one true home. 

(Original paintings altered by Prisma app)

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Joining the lovely Julia Dunnit for a 

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Glimpses of His Beauty

Blessings!

Patsy  

One Thing

“Only one thing is required.” Luke 10:42

I am more of a Martha than a Mary in so many ways. Although I am seldom busy in matters of the household, I am never idle unless I am sick. These days, apart from all the work in the office, I am preparing for a talk, a workshop and I am spending time with my father. When Martha complained to Jesus about her sister Mary, He kindly reminded her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious and upset about many things; only one thing is required. Mary has chosen the better portion and she shall not be deprived of it." 

Jesus in his reminder to Martha tells us in no uncertain terms, that listening to Him is SO important. Sitting at His feet and getting to know Him and His words will produce more results than any labor we do. 

We can get so disheartened about life sometimes, maybe our work, or relationships gone bad, sickness, finances, what's happening in our country... But what can get us through any seemingly hopeless situation is not racking our brains for a solution, but prayer and reading the Word of God. I heard about this experiment with rats put in water. Some rats were in a dark room and they drowned right away. Others were in a lighted room and they kept swimming for about 72 hours more than the rats in a dark room. The difference? Hope.

Hope is not tangible. We cannot buy it anywhere. Same with peace. Same with joy. But we cannot live a blessed life without these gifts from God. Indeed to be surrounded by His favor, we need only one thing. 

Jesus' conversations with Martha and Mary have not been recorded, but we too can have our own conversations with the Lord. When we are bothered and upset about many things, Jesus calls us to have a conversation with Him. To sit at his feet. Dinner can wait. Worrying can wait. Only one thing is required. That we listen to him. That we believe. That is the only way we will see the glory of God. Yes Lord, I will listen. I believe! I want to see Your glory!

Who is My Neighbor?

"And who is my neighbor?' Luke 10:29

The story of the Good Samaritan is applicable to every day life in so many ways. It doesn't have to be a stranger lying on the road on our way to work or school or to the mall. I'm thinking it can be our office mate whose constant laughter hides her many pains, a sick father in need of some company, a brother or sister from church fighting their own demons.

The Samaritan traveler was "moved with compassion" and approached the “victim", poured "oil and wine" over his wounds. OIL and WINE. 

Oil is the symbol of the Holy Spirit, and we usually apply oil when we pray for healing. How wonderful that this man had oil with him! He was like one of the wise virgins in the story in Matthew 25! He was always prepared, always ready! This time it was to offer aid and comfort. But other times he would be ready with his oil to do what God wanted him to do. He can say like Jesus, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He has ANOINTED me to preach the gospel, to HEAL the brokenhearted..."

Wine in the Bible is a necessity because of the scarcity of water, so it symbolizes sustenance and life and God's blessings. How wonderful that this Samaritan was willing to share out of his need, not his excess.

Lord, I know I fall short in so many ways. But I pray that like the Samaritan traveler, I will be ever ready to help those in need with the oil and wine You have blessed me with in my life! 

The Crucial Dad

“It is not good for man to be alone.” Genesis 2:18

Marriage was and is God’s idea. And that is why the ancient enemy attacks that holy bond between a man and a woman from every direction. I find that he reserves the most vicious offensive against men, husbands, fathers, and priests. The destroyer finds ways to pervert men’s most important and significant role in the formation of families.

Writer, researcher and teacher Scott Hahn, in one of his talks, recounted a story about his father on the first day of boot camp. The drill sergeant talked about all the weapons of destruction, and when he got to the hand grenade, he “accidentally” dropped it, and then shouted, “Run, take cover!” All the recruits scampered in fright, and the sergeant roared in laughter. “Get back here!” Scott’s father, when he spied one of his friends arrive with all the other new recruits in the next bus, told his friend in secret, “If you get Sgt. so-and-so, this is what he’s going to do.”  

His friend did get Sgt. So-and-so, and when the Sgt. dropped the grenade and everyone ran away, his friend fell over and covered the grenade! He was the only one to get a medal in boot camp! Many husbands and fathers go through their roles “faking it”, not knowing their contribution to the family is CRUCIAL. They should be more purposeful if they want the best for their family, and not just wing it. 

From a 1994 study conducted by the Swiss, one of the conclusions was that it is the religious practice of the FATHER that determines if the children will be regular churchgoers. If the father does not attend church, no matter if the mother goes to church every day, statistics show only one child in 50 will go to church regularly. If a father attends church, even if the mother does not, 66% to 75% of their children will go to church sometimes or regularly! Wow! 

Let us pray for protection over our families, our marriages, our husbands, and our children against the constant barrage of messages and images contrary to the wonderful plan of God for us! And mothers, let us not forget the example of St. Monica. Her husband Patricius was a Roman pagan, but because of her prayers, her son Augustine became a saint! 

( original painting on Bible altered with Prisma app) 

My Eyes Have Seen You

“...but my eyes have seen You.” Job 42:5

After a few days of reading the Book of Job, it’s fast becoming an unlikely favorite.   In no small measure it is because of what happened to a family in our church community yesterday, and because of my father’s poor condition. My 92 year old father needed blood transfusion again because his hemoglobin was alarmingly low, and he needed antibiotics because his WBC was also dismayingly down. The daughter of the family was hit by a jeep and thrown, and she suffered broken bones, a lacerated liver, continuous bleeding and trauma to her head. In the face of pain and suffering, we cannot help but ask God, “Why, Lord, why? Why now? Why us?” 

C.S. Lewis wrote, “God whispers to us in our pleasures, but He shouts to us in our pain.” It is true that if instead of cursing God or blaming Him, if we turn to Him in the dark seasons of our life, we will see and hear Him more clearly. If we seek His presence instead of answers, we will find peace and comfort. If we reach the end of our rope, we will find that God is there, and God is all we need. 

Job concluded after all his questions that were not answered, “I had heard about You before, but now my eyes have seen You.” We all know about God, atheists and agnostics, and those of us who grew up in a Christian home. But God wants us to know Him, really know Him, not know about Him. He has time for each of us. Isn’t that amazing? 

Astrophysicists can tell us there are a billion galaxies beyond what the human eye can see, and in each of those galaxies, there could be up to a trillion stars! God is in charge of all of that inconceivable space, and yet, and yet, He wants to have a personal, intimate relationship with each one of us! And yes, perhaps that’s why He uses the megaphone of pain to get our attention. 

Under His Wings

“Behold, I am of little account; what can I answer you?” Job 40:3

I have been meditating on the Book of Job with the Catholic readings since Monday. I don’t know if there is any verse in Job that we would cross stitch and put on our walls. Job lost his sons and daughters, his sheep, his shepherds, his camels, his servants, his health. He was only left with his grumpy wife who advised him, “Curse God and die!” 

Job replied, “You talk like a godless woman. Should we accept only good things from God and never anything bad?” Indeed, we never know what a day brings. This morning I woke up to my sister’s text asking for prayers. The daughter of a family in our community got into an accident and was in serious condition. Of course I started praying right away. I could not imagine how the parents and siblings were feeling, the desperation mingling with hope and trying, trying to trust in God and His goodness. 

Job’s friends try to comfort and guide him. “My advice to you is this: Go to God and present your case to Him. For He does great works too marvelous to understand. He performs miracles without number...For though He wounds, He also bandages. He strikes, but His hands also heal.” Job doesn’t understand and he has many questions. He is so desperate and devastated like us when we are in a dark place. 

But God stoops to Job’s level and answers his questions from a whirlwind: “Brace yourself for I have some questions for you!” Of course, Job cannot answer God’s timeless and profound questions! We too cannot answer our own questions, much less God’s. We just need to get to a place where we can trust in Him and hide under His wings.

The Bounty of the Lord

“I believe that I shall see the bounty of the Lord in the land of the living.” Psalm 27:13

I don’t know about you but with me it seems as if God waits until the last minute to show up. Like when I was wondering how we were going to finish our house, and there wasn’t any money left. I remember praying and praying, and I forget now what it was God showed me, but I knew I wasn’t going to sink. Even without me asking, my mom came to the rescue and said, “I have money reserved for you.” 

Then there are occasions when God comes at just the right time you just know He’s there. Like when my family was having a conference with an Organizational Development Expert and she asked me what I did the day before. If she asked me what I was doing an hour before I could not have answered because  my brain is like a sieve with holes in it. But amazingly, the day before, I wrote down ALL of my tasks, and it was long and messy and detailed, and even had the time. Now who else but God would give me the inspiration to do that?!?

Every day God shows up for me, and I see His bounty. When I read the Bible, I know the Holy Spirit is there or else I won’t be able to preach to myself, let alone to others. I know God meets me exactly where I am, with all the failures in my past, and stupidity, and messiness. I just have to make myself available. God is the only one who will accept us exactly as we are! No condemnation! That is why we can claim the good things He has for us now and in the future! 

WOYWW: God is Enough

“I could not believe that He would hearken to my words.” Job 9:16

The Book of Job is one of the most depressing in the Bible and asks the most difficult questions that atheists, agnostics and even Christians ask. Why is there so much suffering in the world when there is a loving God powerful enough to do something about it? One of the lessons of the Book of Job is that we do not so much need answers as we need God Himself. We simply do not have enough wisdom to understand everything now but one day we will. In our own journey towards Him, we just need to trust Him and know He loves us far more than we can ever imagine.

Many of us cannot grasp this kind of love, because we have been rejected so often. We cannot believe that God really, really wants to love us and get close to us, with no reservations. 

( used Prisma app to alter original photo)

I like listening to Lisa Harper. She is so funny even if she teaches some pretty hard lessons from the Bible. When she was younger she was dating a Pastor and they had been going out for a year when he invited her out for Valentine’s Day. He brought her to a really fancy restaurant. At the end of the meal, the waiter brings out a gift wrapped box from a very expensive dress shop. Lisa could hardly believe her date would buy her a thousand dollar dress! He insisted she open her gift, and when she did, she noticed the dress was a size 3. She was a size 7. When he asked that she try it on, she refused several times until she confessed, “It’s not going to fit me.”

“I know,” her date said. “But if you can go down to a size 3, I could really really fall for you.” How many of us are confident enough to laugh about a rejection like that? Many of us feel that we aren’t valued, our opinions don’t matter, we aren’t good enough, and we feel we have to fit into a “size three” before we can be accepted. 

What I know is that we cannot go through life looking for acceptance and love from imperfect people. Although, usually, our friends, family or office mates do not want to intentionally hurt us, we do get hurt, we may feel slighted, even spurned, by words they say, or even something they do. If we can only see ourselves through God’s eyes, how He made this beautiful world for each of us, how He gave us gifts to make us happy, how He thought of us from the beginning and has an awesome plan to bring us home with Him, it would be enough. God hearing us, listening to us, is enough. 

A Fighting God

“Let my prayer come before Thee...” Psalm 88:2

How many times have we felt like God was not listening to us? How many people around the world live lives of desperation, keep searching for answers and go around in circles? Sheila Walsh, the singer and bible teacher, tells the story of when she and her husband were desperate for a child, and at 40, she finally conceived. The doctor called her back to the clinic for an amniocentesis, and when the results came back, the doctor advised Sheila and her husband to terminate the pregnancy. The couple refused, and Sheila remembers sitting on a rock, beside the sea, gazing outward and talking to the child growing inside her, “I will fight for you!” And she did, through weeks of turmoil, and being attached to a fetal monitor. 

On the 35th week, the doctor called and said, “Sheila, I have something to tell you. Your amniocentesis results were put in another woman’s folder, and yours was put in hers.” With the relief came the realization that another woman received some devastating news. Sheila had been carrying her burden all those months and she thought, “Did God allow me to go through this for her because she was alone, would she have aborted her baby had she known?” Whirling in her mind was the conviction that the enemy had wanted to destroy her son, her wonderful, bright, funny, God fearing, son! 

The enemy wants to destroy us too, in any way, at any time. And that’s why we not only need to be confident in our prayers, but we need to surround ourselves with good Christian brothers and sisters who can help us, support us, guide us, encourage us, and pray for us, when we feel forsaken by God. If we can love our children so much, we should realize that God loves each one of us in a bigger, more profound way. He loves us so much He was willing to sacrifice His Son for us. He too says to each one of us, “I will fight for you!” He loves us so much, He allows us to go through our own journey, painful though it may be, just so we realize our full potential as His sons and daughters. There is no safer place for us than right next to His heart. 

Tests for Humility

“For the one who is least among all of you is the one who is the greatest.” Luke 9:48

This reminds me of a certain Congressman whose behaviour in the Ninoy Aquino International Airport has gone viral. He arrogantly refused to remove his shoes and harassed the inspector in charge by seizing his ID. Sometimes we can really go off the deep end and I am just fortunate that there was no one with a camera the time I berated a waitress in an El Nido restaurant. That would have shown that I am totally unlike Jesus who though He is God, took the form of a servant. (Philippians 2:6) If we want to be like Jesus, we should not demand what we think we deserve, but should look for ways to serve. 

This is so counter culture. Our society today rewards the arrogant, the self-centered, and the vain. Don’t the most loud mouthed athletes, and the celebrities with the biggest egos end up with the biggest pay check most of the time? We need another Mother Teresa for this generation. She wasted her life on the least of the least and it was God who gave her honor. God promises us so much if we are humble. He promises His presence, forgiveness, healing, peace, wisdom, prosperity, and yes, honor. 

We do not realize it but God tries to teach us humility every day. There’s a test for us every day. I am sorry to say that I fail a lot of times. If we see a piece of paper on the road, or at the mall, do we bend down to pick it up, or do we ignore it because someone else is paid to clean up? Harley Sy at the opening of the Mall of Asia, saw a puddle of water at the entrance of the Surplus Shop. We saw him bend down and mop it up with a rag. He did not call someone to clean it. I think that’s one of the reasons why the Sy family is super successful. That was a powerful lesson for his employees, and for me.