Marvelous Gift!

 "They have taken the Lord’s body out of the tomb, and I don't know where they put Him!" John 20:2

Can you hear Mary’s frantic voice, her head swiveling to look in every direction, trying to see behind every crevice, rock formation, tree? What can THEY have done to Jesus’ body? 

Today is the Feast Day of Saint Mary Magdalene, she from whom Jesus cast out seven demons! Of course she was very grateful after that, and kept at Jesus’ side along with other Apostles, men and women, who traveled with Him. She, with Jesus’ mother, John the beloved Apostle, and some relatives, were at the foot of the Cross when Jesus died. We cannot imagine what she felt, staring at the blood dripping from Jesus’ body. She was probably clutching at Jesus’ mother’s cloak, both seeking comfort and trying to give comfort. Two nights after, with hardly any sleep, Mary was the earliest at the tomb, bearing spices, and a lot of will power. 

I remember when my mom died, and I walked to our church very near our house, where her body lay in her coffin. It was early in the morning, maybe 3 or 4 am, and I was alone with my thoughts. It was very dark, and all I wanted was to be with her, just one last time. So I can fully understand Mary. Perhaps she wanted to pour out her fears, her sorrow, her dashed hopes, despair even. 

But because Mary went, she is given a gift. She does not know what it means at first. 

Sometimes, even most of the time, God's gifts are shrouded in mystery. And like all gifts, there is an anticipation, a hope, then a revelation. We only realize its significance, its worth, when we stay close, trusting, and we ponder like Mary, the mother of Jesus. She whose heart was pierced, “treasured all these things and  reflected on them in her heart." (Luke 2:19) 

The revelation of Easter, Resurrection Sunday, when our Lord rose from the dead and appeared to many, is not something we should keep for ourselves. It is also not something we reflect on just once a year. Like Mary Magdalene, after unwrapping the gift and realizing its value, we should go out and share it with others. “This is what I found out! HOPE is alive! All Jesus said was true! IS true! ALL His promises!"

Because Jesus rose from the dead, as He said He would, we should go back to ALL He said and live the way He said we should live, so we can have ALL He promised we could have! Thank you Lord for this absolutely marvelous awesome gift!

Love Letters

“Two evils have my people done: ​they have forsaken me, the source of living waters; They have dug themselves cisterns, ​broken cisterns, that hold no water.” Jeremiah 2:13

Jeremiah was a prophet of God, known as the “weeping prophet” for his book of Lamentations. He called on the nation of Judah to repent. The people had forsaken God much like many people today. Instead of looking to the Word of God for guidance, for “living water”, they preferred other sources, other idols, other man made distractions. Digging our own cisterns is an abomination to the Lord because, what use is a water reservoir if it does not hold water? God has already provided “living water” for us, but we turn our backs on it! 

Even if we were able to collect water from our roofs to pour into our man made cisterns, what kind of water would it be? Certainly impure, dirty, contaminated! We can only be sure of water that comes from the highest source, God our Father, who made us, the stars, constellations and everything majestic on the earth. Why would we want to get our strength, wisdom, guidance, direction, purpose, from anyone or anything else? How much time do we spend on Facebook, Netflix, watching telenovelas, compared to the time we spend praying or reading the Bible? It is so sad that many of us are content with our own idea of God, and we do not want to really know Him, or are too lazy to read His love letters to us, the Bible. 

Bloom Victoriously

“But some seed fell on rich soil, and produced fruit, a hundred or sixty or thirtyfold. Whoever has ears ought to hear.” Matthew 13:9

In John 1:14, we read, “The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us.” Jesus is the Word, and He is both the Message and the Messenger. How do we receive Him? What kind of hearts do we have? We will be blessed if our hearts are rich soil, eager for the seeds to take root and grow. 

Jo Saxton, author of the book, “The Dream of You” had a running battle with negative self talk. After all, she had heard so much judgment growing up. 

“You’d be so pretty if you weren’t so dark skinned.”

“Stay out of the sun so you won’t get even darker.”

“Your nose is too broad.”

“You should go on a diet.”

“Men don’t like tall women.”

“I like you and I’m attracted to you, but I can’t date you because you’re black.”

It was not until she discovered the Bible that things began to change. She realized that God’s Word was a weapon, the sword of the Spirit (Eph 6:17).She would read Psalm 139 daily, sometimes several times daily. 

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.” (Psalm 139:13–14, niv)

Jo wrote: “It was a personal war as well as a path to transformation. I didn’t realize that every time I declared that verse, I was cutting away at chains, slicing and splicing the most seductive and stealthy of lies.

I didn’t know that God’s words had fallen like seed in the soil of my heart, growing in the dark, taking root until they broke my life open into a new dawn.” 

Are there battles you are fighting? Insecurities? Fears? Anxieties? Sickness? Find the Word to speak the truth into your heart and let it grow and bloom victoriously. 

God’s Family

“Who is my mother?  Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, and sister, and mother.” Matthew 12:48-50

How wonderful that Jesus includes us in His Royal family, for that is what He is saying here. If we do the will of our Father in heaven, in loving obedience, we are adopted into God’s household. And what better way to truly belong but to study our family’s history? The Bible is not merely a book of instructions, but it lays down the story of our Father and His plan to bring us into our eternal home. We get to know the different members of our family, but most importantly, we will be introduced to Jesus. All the books of the Bible are signposts to Jesus. We can find him not only in the New Testament, but also in the Old. Jesus Himself said in Luke 24 verse 27 that we can find Him in the Scriptures, from the stories about Moses and all the prophets.

I think of reading the Bible as a treasure hunt. So much to marvel at, and to learn. How many times have I wished that what Jesus explained to the two disciples on the way to Emmaus (Luke 24) was written in the Bible. But I suppose if we find the truths for ourselves, we will own it. Just like we will be more confident that we belong in God’s family, we are loved by Him, cherished even, because He sacrificed so much for us. 

Let us read the Bible and get to know our family. When Jesus saw His mother and John the disciple at the foot of the cross, He said to His mother, “Woman, behold, your son!” Then He said to the disciple, “Behold, your mother!” (John 19:26-27) When we get to heaven, wouldn’t it be exciting to see Mother Mary, and John, and Simon Peter, and Moses, and King David, and oh, so many other inspiring, crazy, intimidating, lovely relatives face to face? That is what Jesus is inviting us to! A heavenly banquet with our eternal family! 

God’s Friend

Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus, “Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.” Matthew 12:38

I am trying to remember when I asked for a sign from God. I have never been one of those women who asked for a red rose or a white rose or whatever. Not that I think it is wrong to ask for a sign. In Psalm 86:17, David asked God for a sign of His favor. Moses in Exodus 33:18, not only looked for a sign from God, but asked God to show him His glorious presence. 

Amazingly, God did answer Moses with conditions. In verse 19-23 of Exodus 33, we can read how the Lord replied, “I will make all my goodness pass before you, and I will call out my name, Yahweh….As my glorious presence passes by, I will hide you in the crevice of the rock and cover you with my hand until I have passed by. Then I will remove my hand and let you see me from behind. But my face will not be seen.”

If we think about it, it is not surprising that God favored Moses. After all, we can read in Exodus 33:11 that the Lord would speak to Moses as one speaks to a friend.

I was listening to Father Mike Schmitz just last night and he was talking about his relationship with his father. (Listen to it here - https://youtu.be/c7ULuwKYEwQ ) His father obviously wanted to get close to him, inviting him to go fishing or hunting. BUT Fr. Mike did not want to do those things, he did not want to go with him. His dad would say, “Come with me, I’m going running”, but Fr. Mike would just get annoyed! He did not want to do anything that his father liked to do! He also did not want to tell his father what he was reading because he thought his father would think he was foolish. Sometimes while he was reading about Tarzan or whatever, Fr. Mike would catch his father looking at him, and he would ask why. His father said he just liked looking at his son. He wanted to get to know his son, he wanted to be with his son, but Fr. Mike would rebuff all those overtures! Reflecting on this later in life, Fr. Mike realized that many of us are like that with God. God wants to get close to us, He wants to be friends, but we act like spiritual orphans. Fr. Mike called it ‘self-imposed fatherlessness’.

Father, if there are ways I turn my back on You, spurning Your efforts to get close to me, snubbing Your invitations to get to know You, please help me to reconnect with You! I want to be Your friend! 

Rest!

 "The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath." Luke 6:5

If you've watched Fiddler on the Roof like I have (many times!!!), you've seen how the Jews kept the Sabbath holy as God commanded them to do in Exodus 20:8-11.  “Remember the Sabbath day, keep it holy. Six days you shall labor, and do all your work, but the seventh day is a Sabbath to the Lord God, in it you shall not do any work...The Lord blessed the Sabbath and hallowed it." In the movie, we see how the family gathers together and Tevye and Golde lead the prayers.

It's funny how most of us, including me, find it so hard to follow God's teachings and laws when it is actually for our own good. Consider when God wants us to forgive those who have wronged us. Forgiveness sets us free from bondage. And when God teaches us to work 6 days a week and to set aside one day for rest, it is also for our good! It is a gift to us, a day in which to celebrate His goodness and faithfulness. If we learn to focus on God one day a week, we will be restored, refreshed and strengthened. “The joy of the Lord is our strength!"

We should gather as a family, as a community, as a parish, and recognize our God as the giver of every good gift. God wants to bring us into His rest. What God finds good, He wants to share with His people He calls His own. Just as on the seventh day He rested and enjoyed the work of His hands (Genesis 2:1-2), seeing how good it all was, so too does God want us to stop and experience that same joy. 

If we set aside one day a week to follow God's 4th commandment, it is like saying, "Lord God, I put You first, not the things my hands have made. I recognize that everything comes from You and I honor You. I want to receive every blessing You have in store for me!"

Find Rest

"Come to me, all you who are weary and find life burdensome, and I will refresh you. Take my yoke upon your shoulders and learn from me...Your souls will find rest." 

Matthew 11:28-29

Usually what we remember about this well loved verse is that Jesus will refresh us, and our souls will find rest. We usually disregard what Jesus said about learning from Him which is a prerequisite to finding rest. Rest of course does not mean sleep or having time off. What Jesus promises is a season of refreshment, fullness of life, peace of mind, and restoration. It is very clear that to be in this enviable state, we need to learn some life skills from Jesus. Humility, generosity, putting God and what He loves first, prayer, and first and foremost that Jesus is Master and Lord. How else can He become our teacher?

When we observe people, we will see that when we need help, when we are burdened, very often we run to other people and other places, rather than go to Jesus who is waiting. We may even run to Church or religion. But going to Church is not the same as making Jesus our teacher, brother and friend. We need to read His Words, His teachings for ourselves, and keep it in our heart. As we read in Proverbs 4:20-22, “My son, attend to My words; incline thine ear unto My sayings. Let them not depart from thine eyes; keep them in the midst of thine heart. For they are life unto those that find them and health to all their flesh.”

St. Augustine said it well, “You have made us for yourself, Lord, and our heart is restless until it rests in Thee." He made this statement after his many wanderings and running after the longings of his heart. “I was in love with love and I hated safety," he had said. So instead of following our heart, we need only to follow Jesus.

Lord, teach me to enter into Your rest!

Like a Child

“You have hidden these things from the wise, and revealed them to the childlike." 

Matthew 11:25

It's good to ask kids questions. They give you the cutest answers, which sometimes are quite wise. Once I asked Josh, my son, when he was a toddler, "Why are you so cute?" He answered as if it was the most obvious thing on earth, "Because I'm Jesus' friend." 

One kid was asked what love was, and he said it was when his grandpa tied the shoe laces of grandma because grandma has arthritis, but his arthritis is worse than hers. When a 9-year old boy was asked for the meaning of success, he thought for a moment and answered, "Not giving up." Another 5-yr old was asked, "How was your day?" "Awesome!" Surprised, the mom asked, "Why?" "Because I wanted it to be!" 

Indeed, we lose a lot when we complicate things. Kids quarrel but they usually forgive their friends right away, and forget about what they fought about. Adults carry grudges and resentments a long time. Ambitions make us suspicious of others, and selfish as well. These are the heavy burdens we carry that Jesus teaches us to give to Him. We were meant to be like little children, Jesus' friends, depending on Him, loving others and not competing with them. And yes, we will be successful if we don't give up! 

Lord, may we be like little children. Excited for each new day, and all the opportunities in it to love, and to experience this awesome world we live in. Help us to give our burdens to You and find the rest You want to give us.

Hearing God’s Voice

“If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts.” Psalm 95:8

Obedience brings blessing and disobedience closes the door. But how can we obey if we do not recognize God's voice?  It seems as if the prophets in the Bible could talk to God, even argue with Him and bargain! 

 

The thing is if we want to know God's voice, we have to spend time with Him. It's like talking to a good friend on the phone. Even if we don't see him or her, we recognize their voice, we can even tell their mood! In a study conducted by Canadian linguists, they found that most people could identify a friend or relative's voice after hearing just 4 syllables. We should make it our aim to recognize our Father's voice. If we want to hear Him, He will find a way for us to hear Him. But first, I think we should get familiar with His words and promises, so when He speaks to us, we will know it's Him. 

Isn’t it fascinating that in Jesus’ fourth resurrection appearance on Easter Sunday, He gave the two disciples on their way to Emmaus (Luke 24:13–32) a Bible study? In verse 27, we read that, “And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.” Most of us, like these disciples do not recognize Jesus when He speaks to us, much less see Him in the scriptures. St. Jerome wrote that  “Ignorance of Scripture is ignorance of Christ!”

If we want to hear God’s voice and recognize Him, first we have to get to know Him in the Word. Reading the Bible is like digging for hidden treasure! 

He is No Fool

There are a lot of paradoxes in the Bible. To be rich, we have to give. To live eternally, we are supposed to die to ourselves. To be first, we should be last. One of the most confusing is Matthew 10:39, “Whoever finds his life, will lose it, and whoever loses his life for my sake will find it."

Most people think that if we follow Jesus! we LOSE our life. That's why many don't want to do it. But the opposite is true. If we allow Jesus to take the wheel, and we go where He leads, instead of expecting Him to run after us, we will find fullness of life!

We become the best we can be!

After all, as it says in Matthew 10:30, “Even the hairs on your head are ALL numbered." He knows our weaknesses and strengths, our gifts, talents, and potential.

 

Jim Elliot, a missionary who lost his life trying to bring the Word of God to the Aucas in Ecuador, once said: “He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose."

I am sure we all don’t want to be fools! 

The Face of Christ

“The law of the Lord is perfect..." 

Psalm 19:8

I read in pencilled notes on the margin of my Bible that Raniero Cantalemessa, Preacher to the Papal Household since 1980, under Pope John Paul II, Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis, gave an example of how love and grace fulfill the law.  He wrote,  "A pregnant woman was told by her doctor exactly what rules to follow during her pregnancy. The woman was so taken by the miracle of new life growing within her that she lovingly observed all the rules until her baby was born. That's how we should see the commandments. Simply as a means to a far greater end. If we keep them, we will be that much more open to the Holy Spirit, as He brings Christ to birth in our lives." 

We may not like following rules, but just as we realize when we are older that our parents had the very best in mind for us, we should know that God's commandments are given to us because of His love for us. 

One of the non-negotiable laws of God, and one of the most difficult to fulfill is to love our neighbor as ourselves. In Luke 10, Jesus illustrates this in the well known Parable of the Good Samaritan. He teaches the scholar of the law that a neighbor is always the one who treats others with mercy and compassion. We always need to be reminded of this as sometimes there are just too many we meet on the wayside in need of a job, money, or help. How does one balance that out with our own needs, and of course our desire to save for emergencies, or other contingencies? 

I am reminded of Mother Teresa’s innumerable stories of the poor she encounters in the slum streets of Calcutta. No sooner than she brings food to one family, than a child or the mother gathers some to bring to a neighbor! They may not even know the commandment of God much like the Samaritan in the parable, but they are the face of Christ to their neighbor. Pope Francis said, “…mercy towards a human life in a state of need is the true face of love. This is how one becomes a true disciple of Jesus and the face of the Father is manifested.”

God’s Love

“Are not two sparrows sold for a small coin? Yet not one of them falls to the ground without your Father's knowledge. Even all the hairs on your head are counted. So do not be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows." Matthew 10:29-31

When I was young, maybe about 11 or 12 years old, I remember staring at this plaque 

on our wall which read, "God is love". It was crudely made as I had made it myself from built up cardboard. While staring at it, God spoke to my heart saying, "Yes, I am love." And from then till now, I never doubted it.

I think it was one of my foundational experiences. Because I knew God loved me, I grew up confident in that love. It did not matter if people rejected me, laughed at me, hurt me, judged me, thought me weird (of this, there were many!), everything was OK, because, Hey! God loved me!

If we are not confident of God's love, we can consciously search for small signs, take note of it, and thank God for it.

Another new day with no mistakes in it, Yey! God loves me! Somebody encouraged me, somebody paid me a visit, God answered a small or a big prayer, Yey! God loves me!

I found a parking space, a lost thing, I have money to pay for something I really really want, Yey!!! God loves me!!!

If we are more conscious of the many small things God does for us that we usually take for granted, we won't doubt His BIG love!

The Quality of Mercy

Have mercy on me, O God, in Your goodness; in the greatness of Your compassion wipe out my offense.” Psalm 51:1

In High School I had to memorize a portion of Shakespeare’s Merchant of Venice, the part where Portia proclaims, “The quality of mercy is not strained; It droppeth as the gentle rain from heaven Upon the place beneath. It is twice blest; It blesseth him that gives and him that takes: ‘Tis mightiest in the mightiest; it becomes the throned monarch better than his crown: His sceptre shows the force of temporal power...But mercy is above this sceptred sway; It is enthronèd in the hearts of kings, It is an attribute to God himself; And earthly power doth then show likest God's when mercy seasons justice.” 

Here Portia, disguised as a lawyer, is telling the court that Mercy must be freely given. It should not be constrained or forced. When we show mercy we not only bless the recipient, but ourselves as well. And when a powerful man shows mercy, he becomes most like God. 

Indeed all of us have greatly sinned against God by rebelling against Him. We were created in His image and to be in effect, mirrors of His glory. When we sin, we smudge that mirror. Romans 3:23 says, "All have sinned and come short of the glory of God." 

But no matter how smudged and dirty, and even broken our mirror is, God in His mercy can restore it for us. So great is His compassion and love for us, that when we come to Him for restoration, He will remove our transgressions “as far as the east is from the west” (Psalm 103:12). 

God’s Tapestry

‘The Kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ 

Matthew 10:7

Most people think of the Bible as a religious book, but it is really a testament, a covenant between a King and His people. It is amazing that God wants us to know His heart, what His will and intent  is. That is why the Bible was written- so we would have a record of what God did to make us His very own.  The Kingdom of God is already in our midst, Jesus said. We are part of his royal family, as we are children of the King. Myles Munroe, an evangelist, once said that God had a colonization project. He wanted to expand His kingdom, to make earth a colony of heaven. Are we doing our part as God's children to bring His plan about?

His ways are definitely not our ways. Instead of giving us good times, prosperity, no problems, God uses pandemics, inflation, cancer, wars, insecurities, sickness and oh so many kinds of challenges. It’s not because He caused these calamities and upheavals, but because God gave man the very special gift of free will. We are free to choose whether to believe Him or not, to follow Him or not, to take Him seriously or not. Whether we see Him or not, He is God with us, He is with us in our journey, most especially when it is hard. 

He sees what we do not see. In the Château d'Angers in west-central France, there is a very special tapestry entitled Apocalypse. It is a 140 meters long by six meters high spread featuring 90 scenes from the Book of Revelation and woven in colorful and intricate thread. Making a tapestry involves a very complex technique of weaving colored weft threads through plain warp threads. When we see the tapestry, we will be amazed at the depth of detail, and shades of colorings depicting the war between angels and beasts, death and destruction ending in the victory of good versus evil. But if we see the underside, it would be not make sense at all. It is a mess! We would have no idea what is on the right side! 

Here is one of Corrie Ten Boom’s favorite poems. Corrie survived the terrors of three concentration camps during the Holocaust. This poem which she always quotes in her speeches around the world was written by Benjamin Malachi Franklin. 

Life is But a Weaving

My life is but a weaving
Between my God and me.
I cannot choose the colors
He weaveth steadily.

Oft’ times He weaveth sorrow;
And I in foolish pride
Forget He sees the upper
And I the underside.

Not ‘til the loom is silent
And the shuttles cease to fly
Will God unroll the canvas
And reveal the reason why.

The dark threads are as needful
In the weaver’s skillful hand
As the threads of gold and silver
In the pattern He has planned.

He knows, He loves, He cares;
Nothing this truth can dim.
He gives the very best to those
Who leave the choice to Him.

Lost Sheep

“Do not go into pagan territory or enter a Samaritan town. Go rather to the lost sheep 

of the house of Israel." Matthew 10:6

This means that we don't have to look far to share the love of God with others. Sometimes, they come to us! Some time ago, a lady I did not know messaged me on Facebook Messenger asking for prayers for her daughter. I do not remember the details, but I know this mother was despairing for her as she had fallen into bad ways with a wayward crowd. I am also part of a Catholic group of mothers on Facebook, and there we can pray for the many concerns of wives and mothers around the world. It is good to be able to share the burden in even a little way. 

In Fr. Tito Caluag’s mass this morning, he cited the homily of Fr. Horacio dela Costa in September 1960. Fr. Dela Costa was not only the first Filipino Provincial Superior of the Jesuits, he was also a brilliant writer, scholar and historian. In the homily, Fr. Dela Costa reflected on the theme of authority which Jesus gave His disciples, saying it was life-giving. I believe we too were given this life-giving authority which is not about power or control, but love for others. 

Truly we live in a hurting world. People need prayers, a shoulder to cry on, an encouraging word, advice sometimes, but most often we just need someone to listen to us and be a friend. As St. Paul says to the Galatians, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” A burden shared is a burden halved, someone once said. So let us be sure to make ourselves be available to do the loving thing each time we have an opportunity. Let us make use of this life-giving authority God has given us. We never know, we might be the lifeline thrown out by God to someone who is drowning! 

Sow the Wind

“They sow the wind and reap the whirlwind.” Hosea 8:7

I chose this verse from the mass readings today because I love how it sounds even if I don’t understand it much. If we sow the Word, we will get a hundred fold harvest. That I understand. 

Sir Arthur Harris, a British Air Marshal in WWII, said in 1942, at the start the bombing campaign against Germany, “The Nazis entered this war under the rather childish delusion that they were going to bomb everyone else, and nobody was going to bomb them. At Rotterdam, London, Warsaw, and half a hundred other places, they put their rather naive theory into operation. They sowed the wind, and now they are going to reap the whirlwind.” What was the whirlwind but the devastation of huge swaths of Europe and Asia, 80 million deaths including the suicide of Hitler, war crime trials and prison sentences, and so much more long-lasting change in the world. 

Perhaps we should ask if we are sowing any wind, something with a lot of noise, but with no substance. What are we chasing after? What is important to us? What will be the consequences? My sister who is head of our Human Resources in our family business often told me that when she interviewed prospective staff, she asks whom they admire and want to emulate. Often the dismaying answer is a celebrity who is rich and famous but leads a less than praiseworthy life. Many of the women are single mothers, or living with men not their husbands. They gave up their youth, their morals, their prudence, their future, for ‘love’, and they reapt the whirlwind. 

We are made in the image of God and we have intrinsic value. But many of us make god in our own image. We choose our own ‘moral’ law to follow. We run after our own idols. Whatever it is, money, career, a relationship we sacrifice everything for, if God is not at the center, it’s all for nothing. As Psalm 127:1 says, “Unless the Lord builds the house, we labor in vain who build it”. 

With God, nothing is impossible. He is a God of hope. If we have “sown the wind” in any way, we can still turn back to Him who is the repairer, the restorer, and He will journey with us and take us to the right path. 

Transformed into Beauty

A woman suffering hemorrhages for twelve years came up behind Jesus and touched the tassel on his cloak. She said to herself, “If only I can touch his cloak, I shall be cured.” Jesus turned around and saw her, and said, “Courage, daughter! Your faith has saved you.” And from that hour the woman was cured. Matthew 9: 18-22

Even the holiest of men can't explain why some people get healed and some don't.

I've personally wrestled with my thorn in the flesh for several years now and have confessed every Bible verse about healing. I am sure Jesus SEES me, just like he saw the woman who was bleeding.

What I know is this, because I sought the Lord and keep seeking Him, He has answered me.

C.S. Lewis wrote in his book, The Problem of Pain: “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."

Corrie Ten Boom, who has experienced the most horrible of trials in concentration camps during the Holocaust, claimed with conviction, “Whatever in our life is hardest to bear, love can transform into beauty.”

I believe it is God's will to heal us, but meanwhile, if we are in pain or discomfort, if we listen, He will speak to us and teach us about Himself and His ways much more than we could ever learn without the trial!

Well Done!

“The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest!” Lk 10:2

A few days ago, one of my mentors, ate Belen Pereras, passed away. She was 82 years old. I first knew her when my sister Meldy and I joined Lumen Cristi, a group of single women with the common desire to follow the Lord. The amazing thing about ate Belen was she made it her life’s mission to bring young people to Christ. She was a Theology professor in the University of Santo Tomas, one of the world's largest Catholic universities in terms of enrollment found on one campus. We can say her harvest field was vast. 

She used her classes to invite students to various Christian groups on campus. Hers was not a conventional class. The seats were shaped in a big U, and there was singing which disconcerted some who attended. But a lot of her students would get fired up for the Lord! Her reach extended outside her classroom to random students on campus. She would just start with a smile. I am excited to imagine that one day there will be a long parade of those ate Belen has invited on this pilgrim journey to the Father’s house! 

We can not all be Theology professors but we are ALL called to bring a harvest to the Lord. Our mission has to start with prayer first and foremost as Jesus says in Luke 10:2. Father, show me how to labor in Your mission field! 

We live in exciting times! We don't even know 1/1,000,000th of what's happening in the spiritual realm,  and we should be excited. God is doing amazing things! We should not be so concentrated on the bad news happening around us. 

The harvest is abundant...and the laborers are fewer than ever. Ric Warren says there are FAR MORE people in the world ready to receive Christ than there are believers ready to witness to them! To be a laborer in God's harvest, we need to look at what we have in our hand and use that. The same way that a fisherman will use bait appropriate to the fish he wants to catch, we need to use our God-given bait, our gifts, interests, talents and abilities. 

Are we interested in dieting, cooking, biking, hula hooping? Whatever. We need to use it,  maybe get a group together and use our creativity to bring in the harvest! There are so many people who need to know God’s life giving Word, to be confident in His fierce love for each of us! Are we willing to be God’s laborers and bring in the harvest? We can be sure that if we do, we will  “rejoice because your names are written in heaven” as Jesus promised in Luke 10:20! 

New Wine

"Do not put new wine into old wineskins." Matthew 9:17

If you put new, unfermented wine into new wineskins, what happens? Jesus tells us that the skins will burst, and the wine spills out. I've never seen wineskins, but I've sewn patches on holes in old clothes. That doesn't work well either! 

I quote from "The Anawim Way Liturgical Meditations"- "The image of new wine being poured into new wineskins is an image of ourselves. We have become new wineskins at baptism. The new wine being poured into us is the very life of Jesus Christ, given by the power of His Spirit." 

What a beautiful picture of the fullness of life God wants to gift us with! May we always be willing to learn new things at the Master's feet. Good wine becomes better with age, so too are we transformed as the Holy Spirit acts in us. 

In Father Tito Caluag’s mass this morning, he said that in a genuine encounter with Christ, the fruit will always be the grace of conversion, a total giving of self, and new eyes of faith. He gives the examples of saints like St. Francis of Assisi and St. Ignatius of Loyola who both allowed God’s grace to change them and set them on a path to conversion. We can only live holy lives if we love Christ deeply, and have a relationship with Him. 

Lord, may we always welcome Your work in our life! 

God’s Greatest Joy

"I desire MERCY, not sacrifice." Matthew 12:7

It's hard to balance disciplining and mercy when it comes to children, employees,

students, anyone who has done something wrong, because we always want to teach a lesson about consequences of their actions.

If they make a mistake, or are dishonest, we want to mete out a justifiable punishment. I sometimes fear if I'm too soft, they won't learn the lesson and they'll do it again. But how about God?

“The wages of sin is death," (Romans 6:3) shows death is what we deserve for sinning! And yet the verse continues, “but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." That is pure mercy, pure grace, and pure sacrifice for us!

And so when deciding on the consequence, it is always best to temper discipline with mercy, to bear witness to the truth of God's own love and unbelievable mercy! 

St. Alphonsus recounts this story: St. Vincent Ferrer once said to a man dying in despair: “Why will you ruin yourself when Jesus Christ wishes to save you?" And he answered, that in spite of Christ he would be damned. The saint replied: "And you, in spite of yourself, shall be saved." He began to pray with the persons of the house, and behold, the sick man asked to make his confession, made it weeping, and then died.

We must remember it is God’s greatest joy to pardon sinners, and to be like our Father, we should make haste to do the same to those we need to forgive.