Do Not Worry

“Do not worry and say, ‘What are we to eat?’ or ‘What are we to drink?’ or ‘What are we to wear?’ All these things the pagans seek. Your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you besides. Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself. Sufficient for a day is its own evil.” 

Matthew 6:31-34

Corrie ten Boom was a Dutch Christian writer and speaker who survived being incarcerated in the infamous Ravensbrück labor camp for women during World War II for helping Jews and other refugees escape from the clutches of the Nazis. She learned that, “Worry is like a rocking chair: it keeps you moving but doesn't get you anywhere."

During her stay in the prison camp, God showed her that He could use even bugs for His purposes. She and her older sister Betsie would hold Bible studies and prayer meetings in the overcrowded barracks. Although the Bible was absolutely forbidden, Corrie had been able to miraculously smuggle a small one inside with her. She worried about being found out, but Betsie told her not to worry as the German guards did not dare go inside their barracks because it was well known to be flea infested! So night after night, many women huddled together, and received sustenance from the Bible. 

After 10 months in Ravensbrück, Betsie died from lack of food and medical attention, but not before she told Corrie that, “We must tell them, Corrie! We must tell people what we have learned here. We must tell them that there is no pit so deep that He is not deeper still. They will listen to us, Corrie, because we have been here.”

A few days after Betsie’s death, Corrie was miraculously released due to a clerical error. She learned later that all the women in the camp of her age bracket were murdered in the gas chambers to make way for new prisoners arriving. She spent the rest of her life speaking and writing about God’s love and forgiveness. She traveled to more than 60 countries to spread this message and never asked people for money, only waited for God to provide. 

He did. 

Where Our Heart Is

“For where your treasure is, there also will your heart be.” Matthew 6:21

Sometimes we do not realize how blessed we are, and we need some sort of reminder. One time, Christian speaker and writer, Corrie Ten Boom, was feeling sorry for herself. After all, she felt so weary with all the traveling and speaking and ministering. Her stomach was upset from the unusual food they were eating while in Japan, and she wished she could sleep on a soft bed rather than the hard mats provided in the homes she stayed in. 

After the service in the church where she gave her talk, she was introduced to an old Japanese man in a wheelchair. She noticed that he looked so happy and was so pleased when she asked him about the brown paper packages he had on his lap. He proceeded to unwrap one, and showed her what was inside. 

“It’s the Gospel of John in Braille. I’ve just finished it.” He shared that he had written fifteen Gospels of John in Braille, and many other books of the Bible for blind people. Corrie asked him how he thought of doing this service, and the man willingly told her about Bible women in Japan who go to different villages to bring the Bible and other Christian material for those who are hungry for God. “Our Bible woman is very sick with tuberculosis, but still she visits 16 villages a week. I wanted to do something to help. Even if I am paralyzed and cannot move out of my wheelchair, I am happy to be able to make Braille bibles for her to distribute to those who cannot see.” 

Corrie felt ashamed after talking to the disabled man. “Here I was, with two good legs traveling all over the world, two good lungs, and two good eyes, complaining because I did not like the food!” Let us learn to be more grateful for the “treasures” we take for granted! And make sure our real treasure is the Lord and our relationship with Him! 

Forgive Us Our Tresspasses

“…forgive us our trespasses, ​as we forgive those who trespass against us.” Matthew 6:12

I know that having a huge credit card debt can be such a heavy burden. Imagine the debt being erased by the credit card company just by the signature of the President of the bank! Whew! What a relief! In Matthew chapter 18, Jesus compared the Kingdom of heaven to a king who decided to bring his accounts up to date. In the accounting, it was discovered that a servant owed him millions! Obviously the servant bowing low and pleading before the king would have no means of repaying such a colossal amount. The King took pity and forgave him his debt! 

This same servant, instead of being grateful and understanding, went to a fellow servant who owed him a hundred days wages. He grabbed him by the throat, and demanded instant payment, even if the man was pleading and asking for more time. He had the man arrested and thrown in jail. What did the king do when he heard about it? He got angry and threw the first servant in jail. “Shouldn’t you have shown mercy to your fellow servant just as I had mercy on you?” the king asked. 

Are there people we have not forgiven? Is there someone we resent for his or her actions or words that we cannot forget? Marianne Williamson, a teacher and author, says that unforgiveness is like drinking poison ourselves and waiting for the other person to die! 

Let us rid ourself of any poison of bitterness, anger and resentment. Hard? Yes! Impossible? No. By God’s grace Corrie Ten Boom put out her reluctant hand to forgive the Nazi guard when he came to ask her forgiveness. She remembered walking naked past this same man in his uniform with a leather crop hanging from his belt in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp. She remembered how thin they all were, her sister Betsie in front of her in a line of naked women. And there he was again, in front of her, asking forgiveness. Only by God’s grace was Corrie Ten Boom able to hold up her hand to shake the former guard’s hand. Only by God’s grace will we be able to forgive as God has forgiven us our many sins!

Come Along, Lord

"If I find favor with You O Lord, 

do come along in our company." 

Moses' prayer in Exodus 34:9




Some people don't want God 

to come along in their outings, 

in their work, wherever they are. 

They think God is a spoil sport, 

someOne who will say 'Don't do this, don't do that!' 

But in Moses' and Abraham's life, 

God was the One who pushed them 

to be greater men, 

to use the gifts and resources God lavished on them, 

who made them leaders. 

I think we should always want Him with us!

Love Our Enemies

"He makes the rain fall on the just and the unjust." 

Mt. 5:45

There is a true story of the 19th c Prime Minister of Spain, Duke Ramon Maria Narvaez. On his death bed, the priest asked him, "Does your excellency forgive all your enemies?" Narvaez replied, "I don't have to forgive my enemies, I have had them all shot." I wonder how many of us, if we had the power to do so, would do the same! 

God has the power and the authority to destroy all His enemies, but He doesn't. Jesus taught us to love our enemies, pray for those who persecute us, annoy us, irritate us, wish us evil, vote for a different President. If we are capable of loving our enemies like that, we will be His children, for He makes the sun rise on both the good and the bad, and causes the rain to fall on the fields of both the righteous and the unrighteous. 

Lord, You know my heart. I am far from perfect! But little by little, change me Lord! I want to be like You!

War Room

“When you pray, go to your inner room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret.” Matthew 6:6

I am reminded of a story of a little boy saying his bedtime prayers beside his mom and grandma. He started by mumbling, “Thank You for my parents, my grandma and my brothers and sisters. Thank You that I passed my math exam...” then he ended by shouting, “and please may I get a bike for Christmas!” His mom asked him why he was shouting. “God’s not deaf!” she said, and he responded, “No, but Grandma is!”

We all have our little quirks when we approach God. Before Him, we are naked. We cannot pretend to be who we are not. He knows exactly who we are, what we are capable of, what we can be. He knows our foibles, our idiosyncrasies, our weaknesses and strengths. Here is a God who knows us inside out and loves us anyway. We are precious in His eyes, whether we are a heroin addict, a foul mouthed President, an inmate in the bloodiest prison in the country, or a harried mother too busy to pray. I can see Him waiting for us to come to Him. 

It is inconceivable, that kind of love! Here Jesus is telling us that the Creator of the Universe has time for us. One-on-one time. He wants to be alone with us. He waits. No cellphone. No one to tell us our time is up. He waits for us to tell Him about our day, our frustrations, our battles, our victories. What a comfort it is to tell Him of our sins, our burdens, and have Him carry it for us to Calvary. 

Our prayer room can be our war room where we battle against cancer, against the crisis in our country, against the enemy who steals, kills and destroys. It can be our sanctuary in the storm, a place of rest where we can claim our Father’s promises of restoration and peace beyond understanding. For me it is a place where God reveals His inexhaustible treasures. 

Thank You Lord for one-on-one time with You! 

Wash Me from my Guilt

“Thoroughly wash me from my guilt ​and of my sin cleanse me.” Psalm 51:4

Jesus told His disciples in John 13:8, that “Unless I wash you, you will have no inheritance with me." It is after Jesus eats His last meal with them that He prepares to wash their feet. Of course none of them were prepared for that! 

At the evening mass for Holy Thursday, the priest washes the feet of some church goers. I am sure those chosen men and women wash their feet well before going to church! But the disciples did not have time to prepare. So of course, Peter and no doubt the others said, “NO WAY!" They were probably too ashamed to let Jesus hold their grimy, calloused feet with their long, dirt encrusted toenails! But Jesus said, "I have to wash your feet, or you won't get your inheritance, you can't have a part in My Kingdom. You won't be my brother."  And so Peter typically goes overboard and pleads, “Wash my hands and head as well!" 

Today, how can we allow Jesus to wash us, cleanse us of our sin and guilt? If we are Catholic, we can go to confession. I usually feel very refreshed after going to confession, like I took a bath after a trip to Divisoria, or a dusty marketplace. But it is good practice to ask forgiveness from God every day, going over the day’s activities to see where we failed Him. We can allow Him into the deepest recesses of our hearts and minds ,confident there is no condemnation, only love. 

An Eye for an Eye

Jesus said to his disciples: “You have heard that it was said, An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth. But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil. When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. Matthew 5:38-39

Jesus in His sermon on the mount was quoting from Exodus 21:24-25, which reads, “an eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burn for burn, wound for wound, bruise for bruise”. The proverb, “an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth,” came from the Code of Hammurabi, a King of Babylon in 1792-1750BC. This code of justice prevented the escalation of violence, meaning that a person should not retaliate beyond the crime committed against him.

This is not the way of Jesus which is always the way of love and forgiveness. He says, “When someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn the other one to him as well. If anyone wants to go to law with you over your tunic, hand him your cloak as well. Should anyone press you into service for one mile, go with him for two miles. Give to the one who asks of you, and do not turn your back on one who wants to borrow.” This is very difficult to do. Only by God’s grace is this possible. 

Detective Steven McDonald worked in the New York City Police Department when he was shot in the face and throat by one of the teenage boys he was questioning. As a result, Steven was paralyzed from the neck down and confined to a wheelchair and breathing machine. 

He was interviewed by Johann Christoph Arnold who wrote Steven’s story in his book, “Why Forgive?”. This is an excerpt from the book:

“Then, about six months after I was shot, Patti Ann (his wife of a little over a year) gave birth to a baby boy. We named him Conor. To me, Conor’s birth was like a message from God that I should live, and live differently. And it was clear to me that I had to respond to that message. I prayed that I would be changed, that the person I was would be replaced by something new.

That prayer was answered with a desire to forgive the young man who shot me. I wanted to free myself of all the negative, destructive emotions that his act of violence had unleashed in me: anger, bitterness, hatred, and other feelings. I needed to free myself of those emotions so that I could love my wife and our child and those around us.

Then, shortly after Conor’s birth, we held a press conference. People wanted to know what I was thinking and how I was doing. That’s when Patti Ann told everyone that I had forgiven the young man who tried to kill me.”

Steven wrote to Shavod Jones while the teenager was in prison, and eventually Shavod called him and apologized. “I accepted his apology, and I told him I hoped he and I could work together in the future. I hoped that one day we might travel around the country together sharing how this act of violence had changed both our lives, and how it had given us an understanding of what is most important in life....I forgave Shavod because I believe the only thing worse than receiving a bullet in my spine would have been to nurture revenge in my heart. Such an attitude would have extended my injury to my soul, hurting my wife, son, and others even more. It’s bad enough that the physical effects are permanent, but at least I can choose to prevent spiritual injury.”

Thank God that very few of us will experience what Steven experienced. His superhuman act of forgiveness should show us that if we open our heart to God’s grace, we too will be able to forgive those who have hurt us and set our lives on the road to freedom. 

Hidden Gold

“…we even boast of our afflictions, knowing that affliction produces endurance, and endurance, proven character, and proven character, hope, and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.” 

Romans 5:3-5

When we are in pain, undergoing a trial we see no end to, in financial difficulty, plagued by an addiction, we call upon God day and night. We think, can He hear us? Why is He not answering? Has He abandoned us, 

forgotten us? 

C.S. Lewis wrote that pain is God’s megaphone. “Pain insists upon being attended to. God whispers to us in our pleasures, speaks in our conscience, but shouts in our pain: it is His megaphone to rouse a deaf world.” God gets our attention through pain because we cannot rely on our own efforts to make things right. Sometimes when we are happy with our life, our hands are too full to accept what God wants to give us. All God’s gifts are worth more than the 

fool’s gold of this world.

Daniel Ritchie “stepped into suffering” at his birth because he was born without arms. He wrote: “God has shouted to me through my pain and reminded me of his truth. As the mocking words of men fell on my heart like an avalanche, God showed me that it is only His words that bring life (Psalm 119:25). It was in my brokenness that I saw God’s true strength as he carried me along. It was in seeing my shattered identity as a disabled boy that I could see the beauty of being a blood-bought son (Romans 8:15). God used my hurt so that he could clearly write the lessons of his grace on my heart and set my affections on him (Psalm 119:67).”

Yes Lord, engrave Your truths in my heart so even in the midst of trial and suffering, I may never think You have forsaken me. God allows afflictions to come into our life. We do not have a choice about that, but we can choose to see it as a gift, and redeem the 

gold hidden in it.

A Good Man

“When Barnabas arrived and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart, for he was a good man, filled with the Holy Spirit and faith. And a large number of people was added to the Lord.” Acts 11:23-24

June 11 is the Feast Day of St. Barnabas. He was one of the first teachers in Antioch.

Originally named Joseph, he was given the new name Barnabas, when he sold his land in Cyprus to give to the apostles in Jerusalem. There was so much to be done in Antioch, that he asked Paul to labor with him. They preached and taught there for a whole year before returning to Jerusalem. Together they made many converts of Gentiles in many parts of Asia Minor among many other places.

St. Luke, in the Book of Acts, speaks of him as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. Wouldn't it be great if we were all like St. Barnabas? He was an encourager, and life-giver. We too can strengthen and build up the church by reminding our brothers and sisters in our parishes, communities, churches, to be true and faithful and steadfast to the teachings of God. 

Another thing we can admire St. Barnabas for is how he supported St. Paul. At first Paul was not readily accepted by the Christian community because of course they were wary of him as their fierce enemy. But Barnabas was one of the few who recognized Paul’s conversion as genuine and this paved the way for Paul to evangelize and become one of the greatest Christian missionaries. At the start, Barnabas was the leader and Paul his partner, but Barnabas was such a good mentor, the student soon surpassed him in zeal and passion. 

May we be as nurturing, encouraging, humble and generous as Barnabas! Jesus’ Church needs more brothers and sisters like him during these perilous, confusing times! 

Still, Small Voice

“...but the Lord was not in the earthquake.” 1 Kings 19:11

There is so much noise all around us that it's hard to focus, difficult to concentrate. We are swamped by choices today, unlike in times past when there was a dearth of news, of TV channels, our phones were stuck to a wire on the wall. Now we have our noses buried in our phones everywhere we go because we keep trying to catch up with the latest news, the latest meme, the most popular songs, movies, videos, apps.  Where is God in all this cacophony? Can we hear Him if we are being bombarded left and right? He is still speaking. God is speaking to us in many different ways, and we just need to quiet ourselves and listen. God speaks in a still small voice. 

 "And behold, the LORD was passing by! And a great and strong wind was rending the mountains and breaking in pieces the rocks before the LORD; but the LORD was not in the wind. And after the wind an earthquake, but the LORD was not in the earthquake. And after the earthquake a fire; but the LORD was not in the fire: and after the fire A STILL SMALL VOICE." 1 Kings 19:11-12.  

This was how the great prophet Elijah experienced the Lord. God spoke to him in a still small voice, a whisper. Samuel heard the Lord while he was sleeping. Samuel said, "Speak Lord, Your servant is listening," after three times of thinking it was Eli the priest, who was calling him. We need to have the disposition of Samuel, who was so willing to get up from his sleep and do Eli's bidding. "Here I am," he said, three times. Perhaps we need to wake up earlier, while there is no noise yet, no one stirring, so we can invite the Lord, “Speak Lord, Your servant is listening." 

Wash Me Clean

"Whoever is angry with someone will be liable to judgement." Matthew 5:22

We have all gotten angry with someone at one time or another. Anger is defined as a strong feeling of annoyance, displeasure or hostility. It can go from rage to irritation or a slight exasperation. Before Jesus said this about anger, He gave this strong proclamation: "Of this much I assure you: until heaven and earth pass away, not the smallest letter of the law, not the smallest part of the letter, shall be done away with until it all comes true." 

How much more emphatic can Jesus be! Does this not mean that every little yodh (the smallest letter of the Hebrew alphabet), and the tiniest serif (stroke at the end of a letter), is inspired by God and has His imprimatur, His official approval?!!! We definitely need to understand clearly what Jesus means by anger because He says that anyone and everyone who grows angry with his brother will be liable to judgment the same way that a murderer is liable to judgement. If we are abusive with our maids or security guards, if we insult others on social media, show contempt for others, feeling they are beneath us, this all falls under Jesus' definition of anger. 

I was listening to someone recently describing a woman in church. She knew her as such a nice and gentle person, she said, but she was shocked when she visited her at home. She treated her maids with disdain and would shout at them!  I suppose there are parts in our character we are not aware of, shadows that can't bear examination. We may not murder anyone, but anger can grow into bitterness, revenge and slander, all magnificent blooms in Satan’s garden! 

Lord, make me aware of whatever there is in my life that is not pleasing to You. Help me to surrender all to You. It is impossible to obey all the yodhs and serifs of the law, but my hope lies in You. You are my righteousness! Wash me clean each day as I come to You in humility. 

Serve the Lord

“How long will you straddle the issue? If the Lord is God, follow Him; if Baal, follow him.” 1 Kings 18:21

I don’t think this really happened, but it is a joke that has been going around about two of soccer’s greatest stars, Leonard Messi and Cristiano Reynaldo. In an interview, Reynaldo is said to have boasted, “God sent me down to earth to teach people how to play soccer.” When Messi was asked to react to the statement, he pronounced, “I don’t remember sending him!”

Many people look up to sports stars, celebrities, k-pop boy bands and now even influencers as their gods. Imagine, a fan sent Jared Leto his severed ear! Dolly Parton had to care for a baby left on her doorstep till the Department of Health and Human Services arrived. The note said the newly born baby was named Jolene, and left by her momma because she wanted Dolly to look after it. Some k-pop fans, called saseang are so obsessed they post pictures of themselves cutting the names of the members of BTS, GOT7 or BLACKPINK on their arms. Some spend P100k buying albums just to win a one-on-one video call with their idol. 

None of these is as bad as how the Hebrews used to worship Baal during the time of the great prophet Elijah. They would sacrifice their children alive in fire, and actively engage in unholy activities in Baal’s pagan temples. So frustrated was Elijah, that he summoned the 400 priests of Baal to a challenge. This led to one of the most dramatic miracles in the Bible.

After that, all the people had no choice but to see Baal was a straw god, with no power, and no ears. It was obvious that Elijah’s God was the real, one true God, all powerful and mighty. But the real question was, would they abandon their unclean pagan ways to follow the true God? Sometimes we too straddle between believing in a God who requires obedience and faithfulness, and wanting to go our own way. We have to be like Joshua who said with firm resolve, “But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)

Salt of the Earth

“You are the salt of the earth. But if salt loses it's taste, with what can it be seasoned? It is no longer good for anything but to be thrown out and trampled underfoot." Mt 5:13-16

If Jesus came today, would He call us the salt of the earth? In Jesus’ day, salt was so essential that Roman soldiers received part of their payment in salt, thus the Latin word “salarium” from which “salary” is derived. Even today, salt is found in almost every kitchen. 

These days we have the refrigerator to preserve the freshness of foods. In ancient days, they packed meats with salt to prevent it from rotting. In the same way, we as Christians are called to be salt to save this world from lies, corruption and evil. Are we doing our part by proclaiming the gospel, being a force on the side of truth, justice, and good? Are we loving one another in concrete ways? 

Another characteristic of salt is when we eat salty foods, we get very thirsty. As Christians we should live so that others who witness our lives will say that they want what we have, and they thirst for the living water of Christ. 

The most important use of salt is of course to add flavor to foods. Without salt, our food would be tasteless and bland. What should a Christian add to the world? Each of us has a purpose. We need to ask if we are accomplishing ours and impacting our small corner of the world. 

Clothed with Righteousness

“Who told you that you were naked? You have eaten, then, from the tree of which I had forbidden you to eat!” Genesis 3:11

I don't think we can imagine the beauty, the lushness, the fragrance of the trees and plants in the Garden of Eden. According to the boundaries in the Bible, the Garden was probably just a few hundred square miles in what is now war-torn Iraq. It was full of good food for the first man and woman. But God always from the beginning has given us free will, the choice to obey or not to obey. And like many of us today, Adam and Eve chose to eat of the fruit of the one tree forbidden!

I think of our lives today. So much blessing surrounds us. Food on our table, a roof over our heads. People we love and who love us. There is so much favor available to us if we choose to obey God. But many of us choose to disobey. To choose the one thing forbidden, or even many things that God abhors. And that is why there is so much death all around. Death of marriages, of relationships, abortion, war, pollution, corruption, fake news and misinformation, etc.

Fr. Dwight Longenecker, an American convert to Catholicism, enumerates what he calls The Six Stages of Evil: 1. First, we overlook evil. 2. Then we permit evil. 3. Then we legalise evil. 4. Then we promote evil. 5. Then we celebrate evil. 6. Then we persecute those who still call it evil. This is so blatant in our society today. 

But just as God clothed Adam and Eve (Gen.3:21), He still gives us another chance. We can be clothed with the righteousness of Jesus if we accept this precious gift from God's hand.

Holy Spirit Come!

“Suddenly, there was a sound from heaven like the roar of the mighty wind..." Acts 2:2

Today is Pentecost Sunday. Does that have any significance whatsover for me and you? Yes, of course, for today marks the birthday of the Church.

On the day of Pentecost, 7 weeks after Jesus' resurrection, Jesus' followers were meeting as they usually did. But this meeting turned out to be so different, it changed their lives. God manifested Himself visibly with a mighty wind, tongues of fire and the gift of tongues. From that time on, the followers of Jesus, who numbered about one hundred twenty men and women, went out to proclaim His message and to teach His way of life. Colin Smith, in one of his broadcasts, said that God does visibly for some people what He wants to do invisibly for most people. It's like a visual aid, a teaching tool. In Genesis, God shaped a corpse, and breathed His life into a skeletal frame to bring Adam to life. In Acts 2, He breathed not on only one person, but on all the believers present, men and women. He wanted to breathe His life into the Church, He wanted to give them power. That is what He wants to do for us as well. ALL of us, not just the leaders, not just the good speakers, not just the theologians. ALL of us.

God does not change. His Spirit does not change. His purpose does not change. Jesus said in John 17:21, "Father, that they may be one..." The gift of the Holy Spirit is a uniting force. When the Tower of Babel fell in Genesis 11, the people were scattered by different languages. During Pentecost, the people of different languages could understand one another, to speed up the advancement of God's Kingdom. When God spoke to Moses through a burning bush, He wanted to give Moses a purpose, to bring freedom to His suffering people. During Pentecost, each one of the disciples had his own self-sustaining fire. God wanted them to each go out and bring His message of freedom to Jerusalem, to Judea, to Samaria, to the ends of the earth. That is our mission too. And we have to remember that Jesus is with us, and He gave us His Spirit with which to do it successfully. Come Holy Spirit, come!

Great Love

“Paul’s accusers stood around him, but did not charge him with any of the crimes Festus suspected.” Acts 25:7

It's hard for me, as a woman, to even think of following the example of Saint Paul. I can't see myself in his shoes. He was a tireless traveler. He encountered numerous hardships and was imprisoned about 4 times for a total of 5-6 years! He was a resolute man, patient beyond measure, courageous, and I don't think he regretted his decision to follow Christ even once! Here he is being accused by the chief priests and elders of the Jews of serious crimes they could not prove. 

But I do like looking to other saints to imitate, to learn from them, to see how they ran the race victoriously. I love Saint Therese of Lisieux for the simple, hidden life she led. She wrote, "What matters in life," she wrote, "is not great deeds, but great love." Like Mother Teresa, she did ordinary things with great love. Even when she was sick in bed, she was able to serve God by interceding. She saw herself as a beautiful flower in God's garden. Then there's Brother Lawrence who said, "The time of business does not with me differ from the time of prayer." For those of us who are constantly busy with the things of this world, he is an example of a man who could constantly practice the presence of God, whatever task he was doing, whether it be cleaning the floor or washing dishes in the monastery.

Then there's one of my favorite stories of Mother Teresa. While on the way to a grand party, she stopped to talk to a beggar. When she was fetched, because she tarried too long, she asked, "Can't you see I am talking to Christ?" She saw the faces of the poor, when most of us just pass them by. Yes, we need constant reminders, and saints with their frames like us, can show us it is not impossible to imitate Christ!

No Room

“There are still many other things that Jesus did, yet if they were written about in detail, I doubt there would be room enough in the entire world to hold the books to record them." John 21:25

There is a quote I like which goes: “You can't have too many books.” Indeed I have so many, I haven't read most of them. But the Bible is a different kind of book. So much wisdom, guidance, stories to ponder distilled into less than 80 books! Even if you read the Bible a thousand times, you'll get even more insight and understanding from its pages. You cannot exhaust the wisdom in it. The more you read, the more God gives His Spirit! You will see that there is so much beauty and truth in the Bible! Can you imagine what John the beloved disciple said? There were so many other things that Jesus did, and of course said, that even if the whole world was a library about Him, it could not hold all of it! Why? Why did Jesus do all that, and say all that, and not have it all documented? Why did Jesus reveal to Cleopas and another disciple what was said in the Old Testament concerning himself and it was not written down? (Luke 24:13-35) What a waste! 

But Jesus' Word will not go back to Him void, without fruit, without effect (Isaiah 55:11). Jesus showed that when He curses something, it dies. I am almost sure Jesus blessed and confessed growth and healing and strength for all those who believe in Him. In John 17:20, He prayed for ALL those who WILL believe in Him throughout the ages. His Word has power, and that is why in spite of persecution, there is an explosive growth of Christianity today, especially in Africa, Latin America and Asia. Christianity is growing faster than the world’s population. Isn't it a miracle that the teachings of an obscure rabbi changed the world, and changed the way we measured time? If His teachings can do that, can you imagine what it can do for me and you?

Path to Life

“You will show me the path to life...” 

Psalm 16:11

I was thinking it would be foolish of me to follow someone along a dark path if that person hadn’t been there before. It would be even more foolhardy if that person did not have a lamp to light the way. What if there was a cliff on the side, or snakes or a boulder about to fall. In many ways, we live in a dark, uncertain world. There are many pitfalls and the future is certainly unknown. If there is a guide who knows the way and offers his help, especially if he knows the future, we should accept his assistance! 

Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life. What’s more, He knows the way to heaven because He is the only one who has come down from heaven. In John 3:11, Jesus claimed, “We speak about what we know, and we testify about what we have seen.” Why should we believe Him? One reason is that more than 300 prophecies about Him in the Old Testament are fulfilled in the New Testament. No other man can claim that. It is exciting to see how events in the Old Testament foreshadow what Jesus said and did in the gospels. 

Lord Jesus, I trust You to lead me along my faith journey. Thank You for showing me the path to life, and being ever before me! 

More Blessed

The Lord Jesus Himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” Acts 20:35

It is good to belong to a community of people who know it is more blessed to give than to receive. I have many examples of generous people. My brother-in-law once came upon a Sri Lankan missionary and his family. They were buying peanuts on the sidewalk and did not seem to have enough money for a meal. So my brother-in-law who had a meeting in Max’ Fried Chicken, invited them to Max and treated the whole family. 

Whenever there is a need, I am quite confident that if I ask for help, there are many who will respond. I once posted on Facebook that the flimsy homes of the Aetas in Floridablanca were destroyed by the last earthquake, and many gave P1,000- P5,000 to help them. Every year since 2009, before the pandemic, we gave 300 plus gift bags to the inmates of Quezon City Jail at Christmas time. We always had more than enough donations to make the inmates happy. The bags were packed full with shorts, t-shirts, cookies, soap, packed food, coffee, etc. 

When one member of our community fell and hit his head and the family needed so much money for the operation and procedures, we held a fund raising, and asked for things to sell. So many responded, thank God, to ease the burden of the young wife and mother. My garage and lanai were filled with things to auction and sell, clothes, books, toys, even jewelry. Then there was a young member of our community who was hit by a fast moving vehicle. The outpouring of support was very quick and generous. The doctors held little hope for her but more than the financial help, she was surrounded by the power of prayer. She was healed and it was a delight pre-pandemic to see her attending our community meetings with her big smile. I have no doubt, she is convinced that she is surrounded by love and prayers. 

Winston Churchill said, “We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give.” If we want to make a good life, we have to learn to be more generous with what we have.