Every Penny

“...every penny she had to live on." Luke 21:4

Of all the people in the temple, Jesus was impressed with the poor widow who put into the offertory two small coins. He saw the rich putting in their big offerings, but it was the poor widow he called attention to. Why is that? I think it was because Jesus saw her heart. Her heart was bigger than the hearts of the rich people who gave out of their excess wealth. Jesus saw her faith. She trusted in God more than all the ones who gave so much more than she did. What does Jesus see when we give? 

It doesn't have to be money. It can be time. Do we spend time with Him, reserving the best time of the day for Him, or do we just give Him the dregs of our day, after we've spent all our energy on our work, and family, hobbies, friends, or telenovelas? 

Lord, I know You see my heart. I know I have a lot to learn. Thank You for Your patience with me. Thank You that I can trust You to finish the work You started in me!

Praise the Lord

“Praise the Lord, O my soul; ​I will praise the Lord all my life; ​I will sing praise to my God while I live.” Psalm 146:2

I loved what I read in my meditation guide, “The Word Among Us”, a long time ago. “Sing aloud, yes, but don’t limit yourself to what your voice can do. Sing with your pen. Write down what you want to praise the Lord for...Sing with your paint brush—paint your praise, joy, and thanksgiving. Sing with your musical instrument or your feet. Dance, as David did before the ark of the Lord (2 Samuel 6:5,16). We are wonderfully made, so we can praise the Lord in song or with any of the other talents He has given us." 

A preacher I was listening to on Youtube said that praises to God was like a huge, eternal Mexican wave (the rhythm achieved in a packed stadium when successive groups of spectators briefly stand, yell, and raise their arms). We need not initiate it, we just need to choose whether to join in. I like that, at any time anywhere that I choose to praise God, I would be part of this wonderful cloud of praise going up to heaven. One with Sandi Patti, Don Moen, Suzy Yaraei, Kim Walker Smith, Chris Tomlin, Kari Jobe, etc. The list goes on.... Isn't that exciting? Even if our voices are not as beautiful as theirs, God still delights in our praises. 

Praise is a very powerful spiritual weapon. If we are experiencing some difficulty, we need to turn up the praise. Praise lifts our eyes from the seemingly desperate situation to what is possible with God! And nothing is impossible with God!

There is an example of a hopeless battle in 2 Chronicles 20. After King Jehoshaphat realized that the battle was not His but God's to win, he appointed people to praise God. And the battle was won!

Is there are a battle you are fighting now? Perhaps a sickness or addiction that has plagued you for years, anxiety or fear, envy, or unforgiveness? Whatever it is, praising God gives the arena over to the Lord and allows Him room to move. 

Well Said

 "Well said, teacher!" Mark 12:32

What an amazing exchange this is between Jesus and a scribe! The scribe tests Jesus with the simplest question: "Which is the first of all the commandments?" And Jesus gives the obvious answer that we should love God with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind, and with all our strength. And Jesus adds that "The second is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these."

Then the scribe PRAISES Jesus enthusiastically: "Excellent!!! You are soooo right!!!" Perhaps this is accompanied by a clapping of hands, or a pat on the back! Do you not find this exchange amusing? I do! But Jesus does not view this man with amusement. He congratulates the scribe with approval, saying, "You are not far from the Kingdom of God."

To me this shows that sometimes we make faith too complicated. We should just go back to the basics of what God wants from us. Basically it is a heart issue. God wants our heart. He wants us to be like little children who desire nothing less than to love Him and to love others as well. After all, is this not what anyone who loves desires? To be loved in return? In the Cathechism of the Catholic Church, we can read: “God Himself is an eternal exchange of love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and He has destined us to share in that exchange” (221).

Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit, may I see Your love for me for what it truly is- all-encompassing, all forgiving, all accepting! Your loving kindness and graciousness can never be measured. May I love You with all my heart, with all my soul, with all my mind, and with all my strength. And may I see my neighbor through your loving eyes, so I may love him too!

Alive and Well

“As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not God of the dead but of the living.” Mark 12:26-27

We have all lost loved ones and it is a reassurance for us for sure that Jesus says irrevocably that God is God of the living. One day I will see my parents again, and my brother-in-law Jing who was very instrumental in the growth of my faith. He died of melanoma when my niece was very young. We were all very young. 

I remember the first time I saw Jing. My sisters, my mom and I attended an Easter celebration of the Catholic community I am now a part of, Ang Ligaya ng Panginoon (The Joy of the Lord). He was up on stage and part of the vibrant music ministry. One couldn’t miss him! I remember being so exhilarated, so high and happy. When my sister saw him in the same school she studied in, she gave him a big smile. He invited her to Ang Ligaya’s evangelistic Coffee House events for young people. 

Eventually when he started visiting my sister, he gave us The Joy of Discovery bible studies. When a guy starts courting someone in the family, he is usually very careful. Not Jing. He was a very dominant personality. Our bible study was not your boring bible study where the teacher goes on and on and the students nod off. We had to be very creative! I was assigned the Book of Maccabees and I made paper dolls of the mother and seven sons. While I told the story, I cut off their hands and feet with scissors and put them in a frying pan. I forget who made a shadow play and who had to enlist my father as a sound talent. Even my mother had to make some effort presenting her bible story.

When we asked Jing to help us with our Christmas performance in the small prayer group we were attending, he had us audition for him so he knew the range of our voices. That did not sit well with one of my sisters who stomped up to her room in protest. Come the day of the performance, Jing “conducted” us, and it went very well with all the different voices. My sister relented and joined us as she could hear all our practicing. 

I have very fond memories of Jing, and how he loved to matchmake, and get involved in everything. Even when he lay, weak and in pain, in his hospital bed a few days before he died, he called me over to ask me how I was doing and what was happening. He stayed in the UST Hospital for a month before he left us. People in the reception of UST thought there was a celebrity in the room because of all the visitors and flowers. 

It is wonderful to know we will all see Jing again. He composed the most beautiful praise songs! I can imagine him singing with the choirs of angels and probably bossing them around! Ha ha! Yes, he is alive and probably just as involved in our lives as he was before. He now has a beautiful grandchild and I am sure he is in fellowship with his parents and my parents, and with the saints and angels praying for him and all of us.

Whose Image is on You?

“Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God.” Mark 12:17

This is one of the most satisfying encounters of Jesus with the Pharisees and Herodians. These people were the trolls of Jesus’ day. They pretended to be righteous and truthful and wise, when all they wanted was to trap Jesus. They asked Him whether it was lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not. How we all wish Jesus’ answer was different! 

Back then, their taxes were even more crippling than ours. There was not only the income tax, there were crop taxes, property taxes, sales taxes, emergency taxes, and a tax collector could even stop someone carrying a load to pay taxes on that as well. The taxes and the grain were sent to Rome and it was used to support the lavish lifestyle there. No wonder there were riots because of the taxes imposed on the Jews. 

Jesus’ answer utterly amazed them. He was not trapped. On the contrary, His answer still resonates with us today. It is so dismaying and disheartening to see how our taxes are being wasted, stolen even, by people in government with no conscience. The government borrowed billions of pesos with almost no account made of how it was spent. It feels like some won the lotto with this pandemic upon us! 

Jesus asked His questioners to show him the Roman coin, the denarius. “Whose image and inscription is this?” On one side, the face of Tiberius Caesar Augustus was inscribed, on the other, the words, Pontifex Maximus or “Highest Priest”. “Give to Caesar what belongs to Caesar, and to God what belongs to God.” Pay Caesar his taxes even if we do not like what he does with it. We are citizens of two kingdoms. One kingdom, in which we are exiled for a little while, will not last. We are also citizens of an eternal Kingdom. 

Whose image is on us? In Genesis, we read that each one of us, is made in the image and likeness of God. His fingerprint is on us, just as a potter’s fingerprint is on his clay pot. You and I, we belong to Him. Kingdoms come and go. Caesars, no matter how much power they seem to have over our lives, decay and become dust. Let us just follow the instruction in Jeremiah 29:7: “Seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.”

Blessed are You!

“Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled." Luke 1:45

Elizabeth, the wife of Zechariah, and cousin to Virgin Mary, proclaimed these words to Mary when Mary visited her to share with her the "good news" that she was pregnant. 

Don't we all need Elizabeths in our life? Someone to share with, someone who will support us, walk with us, is interested in our personal life story and will love us in spite of our idiosyncracies or strange happenings in our life? Someone who will say, “Blessed are you!" 

We are truly blessed when we have people around us, family or friends, who will be the face of God for us, who want the best for us, and who will stand up for us. Life is not easy. It can get complicated, messy, when we navigate it’s rough roads. The namesake of Mary’s cousin, Elizabeth Taylor, once said, “You find out who your real friends are when you’re involved in a scandal.” Hopefully we never have to get involved in a scandal to find out who our real friends are. We need friends who are not fair weather friends, who will be around for us through thick and thin. We also need friends who will tell us the truth no matter how hard the truth is. Yes, we need Elizabeth’s around us and they are gifts from God. 

But even more important, are we Elizabeths to those who need an Elizabeth? 

 

Make Disciples

“Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations...” Matthew 28:19

In 2006, I was dismayed to find that I could not remember anything about the scripture I read and meditated on during my prayer time early in the morning. I decided to embellish the Bible verses with cuttings from a magazine, just to make it stand out visually on my journal. From collage, I eventually started doodling, drawing and painting. Then I discovered painting on my Bible. I have three Bibles with my paintings in them. Ever since my surgery in December 2019, I have found it easier to do digital painting on my iPad with Procreate. What a journey it has been! 

Next step, God gave me the assignment to post my meditations on my blog in 2009. I did not know where it would take me. From my blog, I went on to post on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tumbler and Google plus which has disappeared from cyberspace. I have been doing this every day for years now. Some days, I feel like I am partnering with God on a mission. I know I would never have been able to do this on my own! No way! Every day I am pleasantly surprised. 

Do I think I am following Jesus’ command to all of us to “make disciples of all nations”? Undoubtedly! But first and foremost, I realize I am preaching to myself! I read in my daily meditation guide, “The Anawim Way” sometime ago- “The first person whom we must ‘make a disciple’ is ourselves. One must be a disciple before one can make a disciple. We cannot give what we do not have...Becoming a disciple is a life-long process, part of which involves witnessing to others about Jesus. The more we give Him to others, the more we grow in Him ourselves.”

When we share about Jesus, we fall in with this long line of “witnesses”, going back to a ragtaggle bunch of fishermen who did not know what they were doing at first. Jesus gave them the power of the Holy Spirit, just as He gives us that same power today. But we have this great advantage over those fishermen! We have technology, and we can reach so many more people around the world than they could. Let us plug into the amazing power of Jesus and use all the tools available to us to give Him to others, and grow in Him ourselves! 

Refreshing

“The law of the Lord is perfect, refreshing the soul." Psalm 19:8

I remember when my mom was sick, and she had just received the diagnosis that she had tongue cancer. The prognosis was not good, and her spirits were down. I read to her from the Bible, and after a while she told me she felt better. Then there was a time I was tasked to keep the elderly mother of a friend company while brothers and sisters were busy painting the downstairs of her home. She was quite anxious and visibly agitated as her home had been damaged by a recent flood. I read to her from the Psalms as she lay in bed, and she became calm and asked me to continue to read to her. 

I am a great believer in the power and efficiency of God's Word. "For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12) In Isaiah 55:11, we read, “...so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it.

The prophet Jeremiah wrote: “Is not my word like fire, declares the LORD,  and like a hammer that breaks the rock into pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29) 

Lord, may the words I speak line up with Your Word. May I use Your Word like a tool to break down barriers, to make the impossible possible. Yes Lord, refresh and renew me every day with Your Word! 

Have Faith in God

"“Have faith in God.” Mark 11:22

“We live by believing, not by seeing." Do we believe God listens, even if sometimes our prayers are not answered the way we want? Do we even believe He exists at all, when there is cruelty and evil and unfairness He allows? It would be so easy for God to destroy terrorists, pedophiles, drug traffickers, abortionists..... but then, where do you draw the line? There is a seed of evil in each one of us. Evil is anything opposed to God. He would have to destroy every last one of us!

 But I believe God has faith IN US! We can walk by faith, not by sight, if we follow His example. God acts as if each and every one of us is precious and worthy, even if what He sees is contrary to that. He loves us as if each one of us is capable of doing something great and wonderful for Him. He died for us, even when we were sinners, unredeemed. As His children, He planted an indestructible seed of faith in our eternal souls. Let us water that seed, nurture it, by prayer, by reading His Word, by being with people who also desire to obey and 

follow Him.

I Want to See!

 "I want to see!" Mark 10:51

Sometimes when trying to understand a story in the Bible, I put myself in one of the character's shoes. This time I put on a blind man's clothes. It is probably filthy. Bartimaeus, son of Timaeus, does not seem to have anyone with him, to guide him and take care of him. At this point in my life, I am just sitting by the roadside, just outside Jericho. I am probably begging for food, dependent on the kindness of strangers. What a lonely life, most would say! But being blind, my sense of hearing is acute. I can hear the chirping of birds, the little things no one notices. I am eager for any conversation and pay great attention to stories I hear as people pass me by. Recently there are a lot of stories of Jesus of Nazareth. Wonderful stories of how he touches people and they walk! My heart is full, and I am so eager to hear His stories, His parables, His teachings, but how can I if no one brings me to where He is? There is a little seed in my heart, a seed of yearning, a seed of hope!

Suddenly, there is a commotion. There is a sizable crowd approaching, a lot of shuffling feet. People speaking all at the same time, a lot of excitement. What is happening? I focus my attention so I can understand what is being said. I hear the name, "Jesus of Nazareth", and my heart quickens. Of course, I am not going to let this moment slip by! I shout as loud as I can, "JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE PITY ON ME!" I try to get up awkwardly, but people push me. I almost fall backwards, but I do not care. I keep shouting. Many are telling me to keep quiet, to shut up, but I shout even louder so Jesus can hear. "JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE PITY ON ME!"

Finally, I hear a quietness. Even if I have never seen Him, I know that voice. It is a compelling voice. "Call him over." Someone comes and guides me. This person says gruffly, "You have nothing whatever to fear from Him! Get up! He is calling you!" I throw aside my filthy rag of a cloak, get up, and can’t believe it. I am right beside Jesus! "What do you want me to do for you?" He asks. I knew I could ask anything, anything! I could ask for riches, for fame, for food, for new clothes, but I knew what I was going to ask! "Rabboni," I say in a trembling voice. "I want to see." Jesus lays a hand on me, "Be on your way! Your faith has healed you!" And then, miracle of miracles, I could see! I see Jesus' kind face and my heart is full! I start to follow Him and never look back.

Am I as eager to hear Jesus' teachings and stories so that my heart will be full of faith? Faith comes from hearing Jesus' words. (Romans 10:17) What do I ask from God? Are my prayers full of pleadings for this and that, and not for the most important prayer, to see? To have faith? We are all blind beggars in a way. We need the gift of faith so we can see God and all that we have in Him! Let us all pray like Bartimaeus, “JESUS, SON OF DAVID, HAVE PITY ON ME!"

Good and Faithful Servant

“Whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; whoever wishes to be first among you will be the slave of all. For the Son of Man did not come to be served but to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many.” Mark 10:43-45

I tease my helper in our house, ate Lucy, that when we get to heaven, I will stay in her house, because I am sure she will have a mansion or a palace in heaven. She is so selfless and her heart is truly a servant heart. She always puts others first and hardly thinks of herself at all. I know she cannot do all she does without love in her heart. 

I do not know if this is true but I found this on Pinterest. “Leader” is mentioned only six times in the Bible (KJV). “Servant” is mentioned 900 times! Then why do we have so many Leadership Conferences? Is it because it is more difficult to be a leader or because more people would prefer to be a leader than a servant?

If we want to have a servant heart like Jesus, we need humility, humility, humility. We also need love, compassion and mercy in our own hearts. Otherwise what we do for others will be empty actions. We need to join our heart and will to the heart and will of God. There are so many people who require help in this needy world of ours. How do we even start? We need a listening heart and observant eyes. God usually brings people or situations to our notice, but we have a tendency to ignore them because we are too busy and caught up in our own needs. Like Samuel in 1 Samuel 3, we should answer God’s call with, “Speak Lord, your servant is listening.” Sometimes we are busy doing good things for God without finding out if they are what God wants us to do. 

Let us learn to take the time to listen to God, and to obey. That is how God can use us to do good things through us. Perhaps one day, when we reach heaven’s doors, we will hear, “Well done, my good and faithful servant.”

Last Will Be First

"And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last." Matthew 20:16

This phrase can also be found in Matthew 19:30, Luke 13:30, and Mark 10:31. And Jesus means exactly what he says. The thief hanging on the cross beside him must have done terrible things for him to merit the absolute worst punishment, but he received heaven's reward after he repented. That thief received the same fullness of life eternal that Saints Peter, Paul, and Timothy received. The thief just barely slipped through that narrow door! 

We will never know who we will meet when we get to heaven. (We're getting there not because of any good we've done but because God will finish the work He started in us!) 

We can try to think of the most evil person we know, the one who murders people, babies even, the one who goes to a crowded place and plants a bomb, the one who rapes, who deceives, who lies, curses, etc. And then when we see Saint Peter, we can ask him, "Why is that person here? I served God, tried my best to be good, told the truth, and prayed every day! And that person, what did he do?" Saint Peter might answer, "He repented, asked for mercy and called on the name of the Lord!”

It's the same as the workers in the vineyard in the 20th chapter of Matthew. Some worked a full day, others just an hour, and they all got the same wage! There can't, after all, be any more or less of eternal life. And NONE of us deserve the reward of heaven. None! Only God’s generosity gets us in. 

Lord Jesus, thank You for paying the price of admission to our eternal home! We will never realize how amazingly incredible our inheritance is until we join you, like the thief beside You on the cross, in Paradise! 

Know the Truth

“The serpent deceived me, so I ate it.” 

Genesis 3:13

We all know the story of how the serpent tricked Eve into eating the apple. Our ancient enemy continues to deceive us, and is very cunning 

about it. 

In 2010, there was a terrible accident where 5 young girls coming from a holiday in Disneyland, ended up in a car crash. Two of the girls died, and 3 were in critical condition for a while. One was so disfigured, the doctors did not realize she was actually Abby, who was reported to be dead. So while the parents of Abby were mourning, they did not realize their daughter was actually alive in the hospital. They did not know the truth! Imagine their joy when they were told their daughter was alive! Perhaps when it sank in, they would have been horrified about the mix-up! 

Many of us go about our lives not knowing the amazing truth about who we are, what we have, and our magnificent mind boggling inheritance in Christ! When I handled a group of single women for our community, God told me to tell them they were His daughters, His princesses, and I had to train them to live like princesses. It reminded me of that movie Princess Diaries with Ann Hathaway. We are God's adopted sons and daughters, but the enemy wants nothing more than to deceive us into thinking our value depends on how much money we have, or what family we are born into, how pretty or smart we are, or what job we do. If we want to know the truth, if we are tired of being wretched and blind, we need to dig into the truth of who we are, and what authority we have, and all the promises our Father has given us! It’s all in the Bible. Wouldn't we be angry if we lived pitiable lives without victory, because we had an enemy keeping the truth from us? But that's exactly what the devil does! 

Lord, may I not be lukewarm. May my eyes be open to the truth! May I be passionate about claiming my inheritance knowing I delight You, and that You want to give me all the immeasurable riches of the Kingdom! 

Holy Spirit Come

“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” Acts 2:1-4

My sister Peggy and brother-in-law Charlie attended the Golden Jubilee of the Catholic Charismatic renewal in Rome in 2017. Representatives from the Evangelical and Pentecostal churches were present as well. After all, the renewal started in Duquesne University in February 1967, during a student retreat, when they invited a Pentecostal to speak about what happened in the Book of Acts and the Baptism in the Holy Spirit. During that retreat, God poured down His Holy Spirit and students began experiencing Him in a new way. Patti Gallagher Mansfield's face glowed like Moses after she encountered God's presence in the upper chapel. Some spoke in tongues. Some cried. Some laughed. Some felt a burning sensation. Some, like David Mangan, experienced little explosions going on in his body.

 

Previous to that, the charismatic Pentecostal way of worship made its way dramatically to mainline Protestant churches, and then from there to the Catholics. After that Duquesne weekend, God's 'current of grace', as Pope Francis calls it, travelled around the world and changed millions of believers' lives and faith. In unity, with one body, great things are accomplished. There is more that unites us than separates us. We have to learn from one another's strengths, and recognize the gifts God wants to give us. The Holy Spirit is not a spirit of uniformity, but unity in diversity. One body, one Spirit. 

And for those who dismiss the outpouring of the Spirit as something alien, or something new, they would do well to read what the ancient prophets had to say about God’s plans for His people. We read in Ezekiel 36:27-28, “I will put My spirit within you, and cause you to walk in My statutes and be careful to observe My ordinances. You ... shall be My people and I will be your God.” And then there’s the prophecy by Joel in 2:28, 29, 32. He prophesied that “I will pour out My spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy.... Even upon the menservants and maidservants in those days, I will pour out My spirit.... All who call upon the name of the Lord shall be delivered.” Isn’t that amazing? 

All these prophesies are fulfilled in Jesus, mediator and guarantor of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and today we celebrate the fulfillment of God’s promise. Today we celebrate the Church’s birthday! Happy Pentecost Sunday! 

Lord, may we desire more of Your Spirit. May we not be complacent with what we have right now, but may we always want more of You! 

Not Impossible

“There are also many other things that Jesus did, but if these were to be described individually, I do not think the whole world would contain the books that would be written.” John 21:25

Ever since this line was written by St. John the Apostle, the youngest of Jesus’ twelve disciples, so much more has been added to what Jesus did, and is continuing to do in  men’s lives. He can take a messed up life and turn it into a masterpiece. Jesus has changed many a man and woman from a worm into a butterfly. He is not a magician, but He can turn a stony heart into a compassionate one full of forgiveness and love. The key is rejecting sin, accepting Him and following Him. With the Lord, every life is of intrinsic worth, every one a diamond in the rough. He will not turn anyone away. There is hope for everyone, even a man who murders without compunction, steals millions from the government treasury, curses and lies with every breath. 

Who is not interested in finding riches? I wake up every morning because I know I will encounter the one true Saviour, the One who can turn the dross of hardship and trials into gold. He is the only one who can give meaning and purpose to our lives. Even if what is happening in the world right now doesn’t make sense, if we offer all our doubts, fears and questions to Jesus, He can assure us with His eternal words of hope. “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope.” (Jeremiah 29:11) 

Every morning when I wake up, I read the timeless words in the Bible, and discover how “the New Testament is concealed in the Old, just as the Old Testament is revealed and fulfilled by the New.” (St. Augustine) If we do not study the Bible, how will we discover the precious things hidden in it? More and more I realize that if our country, our communities, our businesses are to survive this pandemic, it will be hugely because God is continuing to take care of it all the same way He has been over the past years. 

And every morning after reading God’s words and just letting it stay in my head for a while, I put my pen to paper, and I am amazed that the Lord can use me and my gifts. This is what Jesus continues to do in this world. Let us put our lives, our dreams, our plans, our gifts and talents, and our challenges, in His hands. He is more than able. “If I can?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.” (Mark 9:23)

Do You Love Me?

“Simon, son of John, do you love Me?” John 21:15,16,17

Simon went fishing with the other disciples and they caught nothing all night. They returned at dawn only to find Jesus standing at the beach, but they couldn’t recognize Him. When Jesus told them to throw out the net on the right-hand side of the boat, and they followed, they could not draw in the net as it was too heavy with fish. 

When they recognized Jesus, the Risen Lord, Simon jumped into the water and swam to shore. After breakfast of newly caught fish and bread, Jesus asked Peter, “Simon, do you love Me?” Peter answered without hesitation, “Yes, Lord, You Know I love You.” Jesus then instructed him, “Then feed my lambs.” Jesus then repeated the same question two more times, giving Peter the chance to overcome his guilt of denying Jesus three times.  

We all profess to love the Lord. Sometimes we fall short. Sometimes we deny Him, not only with our words but our actions. Like Peter, Jesus does not give up on us. He continues to woo us, to invite us to show that we love Him. How? We can show we love Jesus by caring for and feeding His lambs, His sheep, His beloved people. We can feed the poor, visit the imprisoned when it becomes possible, pray for the sick, support livelihood projects, fight for justice for those with no voice, etc. So many ways to show Jesus we love Him. This should be a very important mission for us. After all, at the end of our time here on earth, the Lord will separate those who helped the poor, the sick, the prisoners, from those who did not, to bring them into Paradise. 

“I assure you when you did it to one of the least of these my brothers and sisters, you were doing it to Me!” (Matthew 25:40)

Path to Life

“You will show me the path to life, abounding joy in your presence, the delights at your right hand forever.” Psalm 16:11

Perhaps when some people read this verse, they scoff with disbelief, or they do not pay the words any mind. But this psalm was written by David when he was in trouble, when he was in a time of great peril! How could he extol God at such a time? Do we praise God when we are undergoing trial? We should learn to delight in God, just as David did. That was the reason for his success, and why God called him a man after His own heart in spite of his many sins. 

David knew that life was hard, he knew God would not save him from all his troubles. As a matter of fact, God allows hardship to come our way to make us better people, to bring our best qualities out. In the first letter of James, verses 2-4, he wrote, “Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.”

One time a fishing company wanted to sell cod fish all over the US and decided to freeze it. Well the taste of the cod fish was so bland from freezing, they had to think of another way. They decided to transport the fish live in fish tanks, but that did not work either because the cod fish was just floating lazily in the fish tank, and it also lost its flavor! So they put a catfish in the tank to keep the codfish moving in frenzy. That did the trick! Our trials are like that catfish, circumstances in our life that God will use to bring out the best in us! 

Let us put our full trust in God, who will show us the path to a good life, full of joy and meaning. 

Consecrated in Truth

“And for their sake and on their behalf I consecrate (sanctify, dedicate) myself, so that they also may be consecrated in truth." John 17:19

How amazing is it that Jesus thought us worthy of His dedicating His whole life to make sure we know the truth and one day we can be with Him in Heaven?

How inconceivable is it that He allowed Himself to become the sacrificial lamb, God the Father's Isaac, so he could bring us to our eternal Home?

All of us were put here on earth for a purpose. 

St. Paul in Acts 20:24 said,  “Yet I consider life as of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the Gospel of God's grace."

For most of us, our lives are not as dramatic as St. Paul, but it is a race of perseverance nonetheless. In 2009, Charlie, my brother-in-law, was asked by Peggy, my sister, if he wanted to serve in the prison ministry of QC Jail. His response was the memorable, “What?!!! Are you crazy?!!!"

But like the reluctant son in Jesus’ parable in Matthew 21:28-32, he started preaching in the perennially crowded jail in spite of his misgivings, and he continued doing so until the pandemic put a stop to jail visits. Sometimes he got discouraged like when one of the former inmates visited him and said he got a woman pregnant. Charlie felt so disheartened and angry. Why was he doing this every week if it did not make a difference?

Peggy reminded him that they go to QC Jail to show the inmates that they are loved, that some people care for them, even if they are forgotten by their families who do not visit.

Cardinal Rosales said we all have a mission, and what is important is we love our brothers, we are generous with what we have, our time and resources, our gifts and talents. And we should always remember it is God's work, not ours. We may plant but God will give the growth,

I admire Charlie a lot. I used to see him walking into the jail all by himself if no one could go with him, bringing cookies and juice for the inmates. He is "bearing witness to the Gospel of God's grace" not only with his words but by his actions as well!

Yes I Do

“Now this is eternal life, that they should know you, the only true God, and the one whom you sent, Jesus Christ.” John 17:3

"And this is the promise He made us: Eternal Life,” we read in 1 John 2:25.

To live happily ever after, isn't that what any bride wants on her wedding day? I forget which husband on my Facebook feed said that his wife was the perfect gift for an imperfect man, but I thought it was a beautiful sentiment. 

I read 1 John 2:25 about God's promise to us and I thought about marriage, and how God’s promise of eternal life to us is a covenant like marriage. He put a ring on my finger, just as another father put a ring on the prodigal son's finger. A PERFECT GIFT FOR IMPERFECT ME! I do not deserve it, I can never earn it, but God desires to give me eternal life, to be together forever.

There are many things that God does that I do not deserve. He gives me a beautiful wedding dress to replace the rags of my sin and shame. He washes me clean by forgiving me time and time again like Hosea forgave his harlot wife. Sometimes, because I pray every day, and contribute to different causes and do other good deeds, I think I am in right standing with God. I am complacent and un-needy. But I am as far from holiness and righteousness as the east is from the west! And yet, Jesus, my bridegroom takes me by the hand, and walks me down the aisle, and says, "Yes, I do. I do die for this precious one. I do promise to give her eternal life with Me and My Father in My Kingdom." 

That is the perfect ending and beginning, and the best part is, it is NO fairy tale!!

Take Courage!

"In the world you will have trouble, but take COURAGE, I have conquered the world." 

John 16:33

There's no doubt about trouble! We all have it in one form or another! It's the way we deal with it that defines us!

Some act as if everything depends on them. And then there are those who know  there is Someone who never leaves them, the One who says, "Take COURAGE, I have conquered the world."

I have to confess I am of the second variety. In our business, we have to depend on God a lot because we are not anywhere near being “business expert"s even if we have been in business for more than fifty years. 

If we have problems of any kind, our solution is PRAYER! If our sales are low, we pray! If we have problems with the BIR or City Hall, we pray! If we have an employee that needs correction or dismissal, we pray! If we need to make a decision, we pray! So when this pandemic started, and we did not have any experience to base our next actions on, we prayed. Every single day. Together. 

God is our PARTNER in our business and we can take COURAGE in the future because Jesus has not only conquered the world, He has already taken care of the future for us!