Home At Last!

I thank God for the blessing of the mission He's given me. After long hours of travel and sleeping vertically (while in the plane), I'm finally back with my family. There's no place like home. There's nothing compared to holding my wife and children back in my arms again. There's nothing like the embrace of those whom you love. Michelle cooked my favorites: spaghetti and salad (harvested lettuce from my garden) and many more. What a feast!

God must feel this way too. When we are apart from Him, He misses us and longs for us. And when we return to Him from a long journey of search, confusion, and being lost, he embraces us and prepares a feast for us.

While he was still a long way off, his father caught sight of him, and was filled with compassion. He ran to his son, embraced him and kissed him. His son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I no longer deserve to be called your son.' But his father ordered his servants, 'Quickly bring the finest robe and put it on him; put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. Take the fattened calf and slaughter it. Then let us celebrate with a feast (Luke 15: 20-23).

To be united with God, our Father, is His joy and our salvation. But we are to be aware of sin and it's intentions:

Sin separates us from His love. The longer we are into sin, the farther we stray from God's love. We know we should be returning back to God, but the problem with sin is that it heightens our pride. Even if our lives are in totally misery, even if we 'eat with pigs' we will still try to muster some pride.

Sin tricks us into a life of temporary pleasure and diverts us from real happiness. While living a righteous life seems to be bound with many 'restrictions,' like don't get drunk, don't do drugs, don't watch porn, don't do this, and don't do that. Some of us get the impression that a life of sin is a life of freedom, a life of pleasure. Like the temptation of the forbidden fruit, sin has it's consequences which is death and eventaully a life in hell. Now we don't want that. But we are to be aware of the enemy's tricks. For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 6:23).

Sin will let us forget our true identity. We are sons and daughter of the God of all Universe, creator of Heaven and earth, most High and most Holy of all. Sin will tell us to forget who we really are and waste our lives on worldly pleasures. We are His children and we are always welcome in His home.

Everytime we pray, we are in the embrace of His love. Everytime we decide to do the right thing and forego temptations, we are living a life of real hapiness and freedom. Everytime we love and serve other people, we are with His children, our brothers and sisters. There's no place like home, there's no place like being with our Father who loves us eternally.

Homeward Bound

I'm in Doha airport, awaiting for my connecting flight. After 3 weeks of mission, I'm going home at last. I can't wait to be with my family. Patiently I let the hours pass, in anticipation to hold my loved ones again. It's not easy being away from family.

While on mission, I get to meet people who are away from their spouse and kids. Filipinos who work abroad to better provide for their families at the cost of being apart. Around 3,400 Filipinos leave the country everyday to work abroad. Around 1,750 of them go to Middle Eastern countries. How hard must it be for them. Many even take big risks staying in a foreign land, without legal papers, hoping for amnesty and approval from government.

Poverty has driven many Filipino families to be apart. Greed, corruption, disunity, and a lack of love and sharing, has resulted to many families in poverty. Others blame it on the population, i blame it on our own sinfulness. The greatest wealth of a nation is its people. Life is a gift from God.

Abortion, divorce, and other anti-family policies have greatly affected many first world countries. There are underpopulated countries that give much care and incentive to families with more children. For each child under 18, the parents get an allowance. Maternal leave can be as long as 2 years. Rich countries are realizing the tragedy of the reality of negative population growth rates. They do not have enough young people to support and replace an aging population. When a people embraces worldly thinking and rejects God's wonderful plan, the unnatural happens.

If our sinfulness is the cause of our poverty, then what we need as a people is a formation of our values, recovery of our morality, a proactivity of our faith. Let those who work to bring Christ to others in words and actions continue with zeal and passion. We bring Christ to one person at a time, one family at at time, one community at a time. It is a tough and challenging task to conquer poverty, but we will not stop hoping. One day, maybe in our children's lifetime, no family has to be apart because of poverty. Many Filipinos will come home and be reunited with the people closest to their hearts.

"Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: Your sons come from afar, and your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow, For the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. (Isaiah 60:4-5)"

Victory Belongs to God

In my last night in Greece, we went to Sounion. It is a promontory or mass of land overlooking the sea, where we can find the ruins of the Temple of Poseidon. People drive an hour and a half from Athens to Sounion to witness the spectacular sunset at around 8:30pm. The temple overlooks the Aegean Sea. In classical Greek mythology, the Aegean sea was named after the King Aegeus. It was said that the king, upon seeing a black sail on his son's returning ship, commited suicide by jumping off the cliff of Sounion and drowning in the sea. Thus, the name Aegean Sea. His son, Theseus travelled far to slay the beast, Minotaur, and was victorious. But sadly, he forgot to raise the white sail that signified his victory, and so in despair His father jumped off Sounion.

In my reflection, there are important details in life that we take for granted. These are details that do not mean much to us, but mean a great deal to God. Things that we consider victorious, but we forget what victory means to God. Worldly victories like getting a good job, being promoted, having good grades in school, getting married, winning a championship game, receiving an award or recognition, profiting big in business and many more. These are things we prayed for and asked from God. God grants these gifts of victories to us. But sometimes, when we get want we want, we forget the Giver and focus more on the gift.

We forget the Giver when:

- we fail to thank Him.
- our attachments to the gifts lead us far from God and the service.
- we think we achieved it by our own strength

Failing to thank God is a sign that we did not acknowledge His gift of victory to us. We are more drawn to the feeling of victory or success. Often these leads to pride and boastfullness. "But thanks be to God who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Corinthians 15:57)."

Our attachment to the gift should not overcome our attachment to the Giver. How many times have we seen single people in romantic relationships end up being inactive in God's service? How many times have we seen people being "too busy" with work for them to serve God? "As each one has received a gift, use it to serve one another as good stewards of God's varied grace (1 Peter 4:10)."

Hardwork is not the only reason for our success. We are successful because, by God's grace, He allowed us to be. Those who attribute success and victory solely to themselves, will run out of steam sooner or later. Some even commit suicide if their business fail because they think they didn't work hard enough or made wrong decisions. They do not see God's strength and will behind circumstances. Let us then honor God of His graces upon our successes. "But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me has not been ineffective. Indeed, I have toiled harder than all of them; not I, however, but the grace of God (that is) with me (1 Corinthians 15:10)."

Theseus achieved victory in defeating the Minotaur. But he failed to do what was most important: to raise the white sail for his father to acknowledge his victory. In our life, when God grants us his gifts of victory, let us not forget to do what is most important: to give the glory back to Him by thanking Him, serving Him, and honoring Him. Our victories belong to God!

When We Are Persecuted

I was at Ancient Corinth. Yes, the place of the Corinthians of whom St. Paul addressed his letters. I was excited to see and walk in the environment where St. Paul lived and preached the Good News. In his first visit, he lived there for eighteen (18) months. And on his second visit, he stayed for three (3) months. In Corinth, Paul was accused by the Jews of persuading men to worship God contrary to the Law (Acts 18: 13). He was brought to the tribunal before the proconsul Gallio. But Gallio dismissed Paul of accusations by answering,"If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud, I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews; but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles and your own law, see to it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of such matters. (Acts 18: 14-15)"

Like Paul, we go through persecutions as Christians. There will be times when people will wrongfully accuse us and smear on our name, for the sake of Christ. Paul encourages us: We are afflicted in every way, but not constrained; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not abandoned; struck down, but not destroyed (2 Corinthians 4: 8-9). What then do we do when we are persecuted? Paul further exhorts in 1 Cor 16: 13-14, "Be on your guard, stand firm in the faith, be courageous, be strong. Your every act should be done with love."

Being on your guard, in my reflection means that we do not loose our posture as Christians, even in light of persecution. We are to be on our guard of the tactics of the enemy, so we will not give in to his taunts. We have to be standing firm in the faith, keeping our convictions and principles strong. We are not to be easily swayed to turn our backs from our beliefs. Courage takes a major role in persecutions for courage is not the absence of fear but doing things in spite of fear. To be courageous is to be bold in doing what is right. Being strong requires us to have trained and to have practiced our faith to be able build in ourselves great inner strength. Especially in times of persecutions, our strength will be measured by our reactions and our sense of hope. Doing every act with love is the greater challenge, since we are called to love our enemies. If amidst persecution, love still surfaces above all, then we have truly grown close to the Lord.

Paul, despite being tried and almost sentenced in Corinth, still went for a second visit. Let us not stop if persecutions come our way. For you have been given not only the privilege of trusting in Christ but also the privilege of suffering for him (Philippians 1: 29).

Don't Let the Enemy "Ruin" Your Life

Yesterday we visited the Acropolis. I was particularly drawn to the Parthenon. It was constructed from 447 B.C. until 438 B.C. as a temple dedicated to the greek goddess Athena. An interesting fact is that during the 6th century A.D., it was converted into a Christian church dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Under the Latin occupation, it was for 250 years, a Roman Catholic Church of Our Lady. Later, in the early 1460's it was turned into a mosque by the Ottoman Turks.

What struck me is it's survival. It went through many wars, occupied by different invaders, and used by different religions. In 1687, the Parthenon suffered its greatest blow when the Venetians attacked Athens. Yet it still stands, together with the other structures around it. In general we refer to structures like the Parthenon as "ancient ruins."

Just like us, we might have gone through lots of devastating blows in our lives. Maybe emotional, spiritually, and physically the enemy has tried to "ruin" our lives. Yet we still stand. We still stand because of the great love and mercy that the Lord gives us. If not for His sacrifice of death on the cross, we will not be restored and our lives will be in ruins. Many of those who give powerful testimonies have experienced living a "life in ruins." These are those who were ruined by their vices, hatred, misbeliefs, and absence of faith. Yet, even if we go through some damages in our lives like a tainted past, a physical incapability, or a loss of a loved one, the Lord will still use us for a greater purpose: to testify to His love.

"I tell you, her sins--and they are many--have been forgiven, so she has shown me much love. But a person who is forgiven little shows only little love (Luke 7:47)."

Like the woman in the passage, she was damaged. Her life was in ruins. He went to the Lord and bathed His feet with her tears and wiped it with her hair, then she put ointment on Jesus' feet. She gave much love because she had been forgiven much.

We must remember that Satan wants to totally ruin our lives. He wants to make us feel unworthy to go back to the Lord because of the depth of our sins. Yet in the Scriptures, the woman chose to ask for forgiveness and mercy from Jesus. He said to her, "Your sins are forgiven (Luke 7:48)." This episode in the Bible exemplifies how the Lord restores our ruined lives and makes us whole again.

Therefore let us not forget these three things. First, no matter how ruined our lives are, the Lord's will is to restore us back to Him. Second, we need only to accept Him as our Saviour and ask for His love and mercy. Third, He will use our once ruined lives as a powerful testimony of His transforming love.

Just like the Parthenon, it appears damaged and most of its sculptures were destroyed or stolen. Yet it stands as a testimony of the greatness of Ancient Greece. People from all over the world visit Greece just to marvel at this amazing structure. Our lives too, no matter how much damaged we are in the past, the Lord will use us draw people closer to Him and reveal His glory.

Christianity For Generations To Come

Today I was at the Panathenaic Stadium in Athens, Greece. It was the venue of the 1st ever Summer Olympic Games in 1896. Until recently, in 2004, was the Olympics once again held in Greece. That's 108 years later in a new stadium called the Athens Olympic Stadium. It's amazing how the Olympic tradition has been kept alive through all those years. Even surviving World Wars 1 and 2.

What are the practices and traditions that we need to keep alive? Every generation is given the opportunity to be stewards of tradition, culture, beliefs, principles, faith, and way of life. As Christians of today's generation, what are we to do to preserve, strengthen, and live out the teachings of Jesus that was given to us over 2,000 years ago? I can reflect on three things. One is that we need to advocate an appreciation of the history of our faith. The Bible shares to us the creation of the world and of Adam and Eve. The Bible also elaborates on how God called and raised the Israelites as His chosen people. The Good Book also gives an account of Jesus' teachings and how He died for our sins. The Bible also shows us how the early Christian community and it's leaders spread the Good News of salvation. A deep appreciation and understanding of our past will help us in building a strong foundation of faith. Second, we need to be good witnesses of the way of life Jesus was teaching us. They say that today "we need more of witnesses rather than preachers." It is possible that we have all knowledge about religion, but fail to live out our faith. If there is poor witnessing, our children will not inherit the way of life Jesus was showing us. Third, we have to invest much time, energy, and resources in training the young. One day, all that we have started and built will have to be passed on to the next generation. All of us will get old and gray. If we fail to train and entrust our work to the young, our traditions and principles will die with us. In passing the baton in a relay, there is a point where the two runners are holding the baton before it is released. If we are the baton passer, we do all that we can to mold the young and teach them of the right ways. If we are the baton receiver, we do all we can to absorb the wisdom of our predecessors.

The Olympics will continue to be enjoyed by future generations, unless a certain generation will be poor stewards of continuing this tradition. Like Christianity, we must keep it alive by being good stewards and humbe vessels of the power of the Holy Spirit. We see many countries, specially in Europe, who started strong in being a Christian nation, but later to see a generation of Christians who are "unchurched." They are Christians by baptism, but fail to practice, participate, and live out their faith. Let us work together to keep Christ alive in the hearts of generations to come.

Strive for Character, Not Position

When someone enters a corporation, he may say, "One day I will be the CEO of this company." While it is not bad to have such a dream, it may be questionable on how he intends to get there. He may try to get to his goal by compromising his values. He might do it "by hook or by crook," as the cliche goes.

One should then not desire for position, but strive for the qualities that will build his character. Being a CEO one day, will just be a consequence of the strength of one's character that matches the requirements of the job. One may ask, "what are the ideal qualities of a CEO?" And upon those qualities shall one work his best to acquire.

"Grant that in your glory we may sit one at your right and the other at your left. Mark 10:37 "

In the passage, James and John asked to be seated at the left and right side of Jesus. This implied asking for a position. But Jesus pointed out the qualities of what they are asking, which is the quality of servanthood. "But it shall not be so among you. Rather, whoever wishes to be great among you will be your servant; Mark 10:43."

Let us therefore strive on building our character and not on the position.

Use Your Talents to Build God's Kingdom

Yesterday we went to Salzburg, the city where Amadeus Wolfgang Mozart was born and raised. It's also the city setting of the movie, Sound of Music. But I'm inclined to be more interested in Mozart and how this genius came to be. I was able to visit the house of his birth and the house where he grew up.

Mozart composed over 600 works. He composed from the age of five and performed before European royalty. After Mozart's death, his older sister "Nannerl" had this to say about her brother when Wolfgang was three years old:

He often spent much time at the clavier, picking out thirds, which he was always striking, and his pleasure showed that it sounded good. In the fourth year of his age his father, for a game as it were, began to teach him a few minuets and pieces at the clavier. He could play it faultlessly and with the greatest delicacy, and keeping exactly in time. At the age of five he was already composing little pieces, which he played to his father who wrote them down (wikipedia).

Mozart was a prodigy. Yet his talent could have only come from one greater than him...God. What talents do we have? What are we doing to nurture God's gifts of talents? We recall the parable of the talents. The others did well in multiplying the talents God entrusted to them, while the one who hid it had this to say:

'Master, I knew you were a demanding person, harvesting where you did not plant and gathering where you did not scatter; so out of fear I went off and buried your talent in the ground. Here it is back (Matthew 25:18).'

This is what the talent giver had to say at the end of his reply:

Now Then! Take the talent from him and give it to the one with ten. For to everyone who has, more will be given and he will grow rich; but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away (Matthew 25:28-29)

These are some of my realizations: We have to acknowledge God's gifts through our interests. God planted in us a feeling of bias towards particular interests. Not everyone is interested in the same things. Then, we cultivate and grow our interests so it may bless others and help in building God's kingdom on earth. Many are blessed with amazing talents but use it only to enrich themselves without thought for others. Even worse, some use it out of greed, corruption, and exploitation. If we hide our talents, (in the context that it is not used for the good of God's kingdom) we are preventing God's blessings upon us. Hiding our talents from God's intended purpose will cause us to live a life that is deprived of His goodness. Think of those who use their intellect and administrative talents to make themselves rich. At first their conscience will haunt them. Then they are able to train and tame their consciences. Then corruption becomes their lifestyle, until all these lies and deceit will turn against itself and bring them to peril. Then everything will be taken away from them, including their souls.

Mozart is considered as one of the world's greatest musicians who ever lived. But as Christians, we only seek to be great in God's eyes. Let us use our talents for His service and strive to grow them so others may be blessed and God's kingdom expanded.

Transformation Story of Brian "Head" Welch

I chanced upon this video in facebook. It's about the band Korn and it's former lead singer Brian "Head" Welch. Amazing transformation story. It gave me goosebumps. Watch it.



I am deeply touched of his affection for his daughter and how he surrendered to God amidst the bondage of drugs. Truly God transforms. And he calls out to us, no matter how the world tries to lure us to sin and death.

Filled With Thanksgiving

The Couples For Christ Euro Conference was a great victory! It was was an awesome sight to see families from all over Europe come together to worship, have fellowship, and be nourished by teachings.

One highlight for me was when the families were offering roses to the cross. One by one a family member would come up on stage and offer a prayer while filling up the cross with a rose offering. It's such a wonderful symbol of God's people thanking the Lord of His sacrifice, suffering, and love for us. The cross was filled with thanksgiving!

Have we thanked the Lord enough? In a day, do we thank God for the blessings he has given us? A retreat master said, "if you are not in a habit of thanking God, you will notice that you complain about a lot of things." For me this is true. When the day is hot and I forget to thank God, i notice more of the discomfort the heat gives me, rather than thanking Him that there's no rain so I could do my tasks. And if something does not go as planned, we get easily dissapointed and start to rant, instead of thinking, "What could be your will Lord?"

Let us not forget to thank the Lord of at least three things today. My 3 year old son, Sev, would end the day by saying, "Thank you Lord for..." then he would mention all the people he remembers, all the cartoons he watched, all the food he ate, and even some things only he can understand. Let us be filled with thanksgiving (Col. 2: 7).

Faith Like a Child

During the weekend, there were 90 kids who participated in the European Kids' Village in Vienna, Austria. This was simultaneous with the Couples for Chirst Conference and the other family ministries. Serving in CFC Kids for Christ gives me a great sense of hope and joy in my heart.

The kids were excited wearing their costumes and were very vibrant in sharing their God given talents to everyone. The theme of the Kids Village was "Kids' Adventure!" Kids learned about their faith adventure with the Lord. It was inspiring to see and hear kids sharing about their faith. At a very young age, these kids have come to have a personal relationship with Jesus. It is amazing how much we can learn from the purity of their belief in God. No wonder Jesus made them as an example:

Matthew 18: 1-5

At that time the disciples approached Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" He called a child over, placed it in their midst, and said, "Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven. And whoever receives one child such as this in my name receives me.

One can learn that no matter how much we study the bible and read books about our religion, we must not lose sight of our faith. Children have little experience in the world, but one thing they know is that Jesus is real and that He loves them. The Lord points out that this is what matters. When we grow older, we start to get better acquainted with the world and it's lures. At instances our faith may even be challenged with secular knowledge.

I'd rather have faith like a child. In my reflection I see that having pure faith, knowing and believing that God exists and is with us, leads us to:

Fear Him. The fear of the LORD teaches a man wisdom, and humility comes before honor (Proverbs 15:33). Knowing that God is fully alive, watching our every move with love, we come to fear him. Fear in the context of great reverence, such that we are afraid to displease our king with sin. Therefore, "By fearing the LORD, people avoid evil (Proverbs 16:6)." I remember as a child, when I became too naughty, someone would say, "Jesus will be sad if you do that." Then I would behave.

With pure faith, we come to Honor Him. It will be our desire to please our Lord by living out our faith. Honoring him means living life as witnesses of God's love. Our actions reflect God's goodness in our lives.

Loving Him more is also a consequence of having faith like a child. We can't help but love someone whom we believe loves us unconditionally, without measure. The more our faith grows, the more we realize how crazy in love God is with us.

Everyday, as the world tries to convince us that we don't need God, let us be reminded to have faith like a child. It is after all our salvation on the line.

Listen to "Walk on Water"

Listen to "Trailblazin'"

Listen to "Heaven"

Listen to "Nothing More"

After an Exhausting Day

I just came from an exhausting but Spirit-filled day. It's a day before the CFC European Conference. There's going to be 5 simultaneous conferences (youth, kids, handmaids, singles, and cfc) in one big venue. Each ministry and every committee is very busy doing final touches and practices for the events. Some are drilling and sawing, others in crucial meetings, others are sewing costumes, others are preparing the kits, some are singing, others dancing...all of us doing different things to achieve one goal, to bring people closer to Christ and give glory to God.

What could be better than to do something that will lead others closer to our Lord? What could be more worthwhile than bringing glory to God? "So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God (1 Corinthians 10:31)."

Some things I realized today. One, we have to prepare the best that we can, giving all that we've got. This way, we will have peace in our hearts that we have given excellently. Second, do things with a joyful disposition. This makes work lighter and more enjoyable. Third, offer all that we do for God as a form of worship. If it is for the Lord, then it is worth all the hardwork. Fourth, take time to rest and appreciate the work and honor people who have helped. God looked at everything he had made, and he found it very good (Genesis 1:31).

At the end of a work-filled day with our bodies beat, we hope to feel the peace, joy, and content brought by the thought that we have given our best on that day. May what we do today bring others closer to Christ and give glory to God.

Listen to "I Give My All"

Listen to "God Is Enough"

Too Blessed To Be Stressed!

We are amidst preparations for the CFC Europe Conference. It's 2 days to go. Everyone's busy, many feel the pressure, and some are stressed. I gave a recollection last night and it basically focused on the blessings we have while serving God in a Christian community. It has the acronyms of B.L.E.S.S.

Through community, God blesses us with...

B - Brothers and Sisters who love us
L - Leaders who guide us
E - Events that nourish us
S - Spirit that anoints us
S - Service that empowers us

Realizing all these blessings, all the hard work in our preparations is all worth it. One can declare that, "I'm too blessed to be stressed!" I believe this is a good reminder for us whenever we feel much pressure in school, at work, or in our service to God. Noting above of the things that bless us, we also reflect on its opposite. These are things that stress us...

A lack of love in our ways.
A lack of witnessing and a lack of obedience
A lack of focus
A lack of appreciation
A lack of dependence on God

Reflecting on the above, we can therefore check on ourselves. Are we loving in our ways? Are we good witnesses? Am I obedient? Am I easily distracted? Are we honoring God's anointing? Is our service empowering us? If the answer to these questions is a "yes," then we will feel more of the blessings rather than the stress or burden.

Whenever we are feeling weary of the things we do, let us not forget to come before the Lord. Let us wait upon Him. Allow His embrace to fill us, recharge us, and empower us.

"He gives power to those who are tired and worn out; he offers strength to the weak. Even youths will become exhausted, and young men will give up. But those who wait on the Lord will find new strength. They will fly high on wings like eagles. They will run and not grow weary. They will walk and not faint." Isaiah 40: 29-31

Faithfulness to Fruitfulness

It is a privilege and joy to be able to serve the Lord through our brothers and sisters in Vienna. Seeing the mission being spread in other countries gives us hope that amidst a world of materialism, greed, and faithlessness, there are people who pursue God's work with much zeal and perseverance. These efforts of evangelization are already bearing fruit through the families that the Lord has touched and transformed through the years. Through the parents, many have come from Kids for Christ, Youth for Christ, Singles for Christ, and are now in Couples for Christ. It is a delight to see families who are faithfully and fruitfully serving the Lord.

Reflecting on this, we realize that the result of faithfulness is fruitfulness. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me (John 15:4). When we remain in Christ, He blesses the work of our hands. When we are faithful to Him, no matter what kind of persecution we go through, the work will continue to bear fruit. We remember the persecutions of the early church wherein many were fed to the lions, burned alive, stoned to death, and nailed on the cross. These were the consequences of their faithfulness to Christ. But yet, the blood of these martrys watered the work of evangelization, that Christianity grew to reach us 2,000 years later. The sufferings of their faithfulness bore great fruit.

If at times we are persecuted because of our faithfulness, we just press on and continue our work. Even daunting at times. Surely the Lord will be the one to bless it and make it grow. I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth. Therefore, neither the one who plants nor the one who waters is anything, but only God, who causes the growth (1 Corinthians 3: 6-7).

I am greatly inspired by the CFC's here in Vienna who press on by faithfully doing their part in spreading the Good News in Austria and in neighboring countries. They are very busy doing God's work, but not forgetting to put a smile on their faces that stems from the joy of the Lord in their hearts.

It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you (John 15:16).

Build With Excellence

Today I was in St. Stephen's Cathedral in Vienna, Austria. I can't help but be awed by it's size and beauty. The details of the artwork on every corner is very impressive. The church was consecrated in 1147 and it is the mother church of the Archdiocese of Vienna.

The people in the 12th Century really put much value in the construction of the churches. You could feel the level of excellence they put in the building of the cathedral. I observed that there are so many sculptures all over the church; in the ceiling, the walls, the pulpits, the posts, the doors and many more. After 900 years, this structure has survived wars and fires, and is continually nourishing its parishioners with the Eucharist and the other sacraments.

Reflecting on this, how excellent are we when it comes to our work and service? How much value are we putting into them? Are we building our work and service to last? What I learned from witnessing this marvelous church is that, if we put much value and excellence in what we do, our work will survive even beyond our own lifetime. Our desire is that whatever we started will continue for years to come. In the case of the St. Stephen Cathedreal, this excellent structure has lasted for 900 years already.

In World War II, It was even saved from intentional destruction when a Captain Gerhard Klinkicht of the German forces disregarded orders from the city commandant, Sepp Dietrich, to "fire a hundred shells and leave it in just debris and ashes (wikipedia)." I think that the Captain couldn't take it upon himself to destroy such magnificent structure and place of worship. People will help preserve and protect work that is done with much excellence. Presently, the cathedral is undergoing some preservation work and cleaning up, so it can last for centuries to come.

There were so many tourists that went to see the Cathedral. They took pictures and many of them went to Mass as well. As for me, I didn't understand a word since it was in German. But despite that, I couldn't deny the holy presence of God within the walls of this hallowed Cathedral during mass. It was as if I was transported through time, imagining that 900 years ago, people went to Holy Mass, and shared in the Body of Christ just as I did today. A work that is built excellently will benefit not only the maker but hundreds and thousands other people who are touched of its beauty and purpose.

May we devote ourselves to work and service wherein we can build great value and excellence. If you are in a business, may you work with excellence so it may last for many years. If you are in the service of the Lord, may you shepherd people and communities excellently towards God for generations to come. "The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock (Matthew 7:28)."

We Are All God's Children

August 6, 2010, 10pm, Doha, Qatar Airport

I just arrived in Doha Airport after 8 hours of travel. It’s 10pm and my flight is still at 7:50am the next day. It’s a long lay-over, the longest I’ve been. In the airport I see a lot of people waiting for their boarding, people of different races and nationalities. Here all of us are the same. No rich no poor, no white or black (or brown), all of us are travellers waiting for our flight.

How does God see us? Does He look at the color of our skin or our status in life? I believe that God sees only one thing, His children. All of us are God’s children, no matter who we are on this earth. Whether rich or poor, powerful or deprived, intelligent or simple minded, He only looks at the heart of His children. He sees the purity in our hearts, our intentions and our desires. As our Father, He knows us best. But how are we to act as His children?

As children, we act with dependence on God. The moment we try to figure out life without asking help from God our father, we become lost. Like the prodigal son, who thought he got things figured out but ended up squandering his money and eating with pigs. Being dependent on God makes us ask for His guidance and blessings. God is generous to His children, we need only ask.

As children, we act with honor and reverence to God. Being children, our actions reflect on our parents. When we commit a grievance, we bring shame to our parent’s name. Our parents, in their capacity, do all they can to raise us to be proper. But sometimes, our choice of actions is opposite to what we were taught. God our Father, has provided us guidance and teachings through His church. We know what is right or wrong, yet we dishonor him with our behaviour. May we be conscious of our actions and do things that will honor God. When someone thanks and honors us for the good service that we do, our answer is, “Praise God.” We give the glory back to Him and bring honor to His name.

As children, we act with love and kindness to our brothers and sisters. It is important for God to see His children living in peace and harmony. He sent his begotten Son, Jesus, to show us the way. Jesus said, “Love one another as I have loved you (John).” Jesus, our big brother, taught us how to relate with one another. He even said, “Love your enemies.” Let us avoid the posture and attitude of Cain when he answered God, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” God the father, is delighted to see His children look out for one another.

We are all the same in the Father’s eyes. We are all loved. Let us then be the children God envisions us to be.

Stillness

Aug 6, 2010 5:30 pm Manila

I’m now in NAIA 1 airport waiting to board bound for Doha with a final destination to Vienna. It’s going to be a long flight, with hours just sitting and reflecting. Probably catch on with some sleep. As I travel, I realize that in life, there are times that we are brought to a point of stillness. Sometimes, we are made still even if it’s not our choice. Like this flight, I can do nothing but wait and let time pass by. Yes, there are still many things to do in work and service, but as long as I’m travelling, all I can do is to wait to get to my destination.

Stillness is an essential element of our faith. In the gospel, the Lord said, “Be still and know that I am God (Psalm 46:10).” Amidst our busy lives, if we forget to pause, we might end up wasting much of time. Stillness allows us to reflect. When we reflect, we are able to make better decisions. We are able to ponder our life situations and ask God to guide us in our choices. We can examine our conscience, our principles and pray for better guidance.

Stillness allows us to rest and recharge. We rest so that we can be stronger when we are most needed. Many of us do not sleep much because of work preparations. But when the needed performance comes, we are not able to give our all because our bodies give in. It’s like someone who enters a singing contest. She practices, day and night, almost endlessly. On the day of the contest, she loses her voice. Let us then not forget to rest so we can perform our best.

Stillness reveals direction. Being still lets the dust settle. When a big truck passes in front of us on a dusty road, we are not able to see our way clearly. We slow down or stop, as to avoid accident and see the road vividly. Another analogy is that when we shake water with mud, the water will be murky. But if we wait for a while, the water will be crystal clear and the mud will be at the bottom. Being still teaches us patience and makes our vision clearer, leading us to the right direction.

I hear the boarding announcement, may God speak powerfully as I reflect, rest, and be revealed of the right direction.

W.O.R.S.H.I.P. the Lord

It's one of my busiest weeks. I find myself endlessly doing things. My checklist seems to always have more boxes to be ticked. But despite all the demands, I end the day with a smile on my face knowing that all that I did was for the Lord. I find joy in the fact that I was able to give all my mind, my heart, and my soul to honor God in what I do. I believe that this is the essence of worship.

I read in the Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, "Worship is not a part of your life, it is your life." Sometimes we define worship by only relating it to singing and praising. But truth is, worship is what we do to bring honor to Christ. I made some acrostics to remind myself to worship God in all that I do:

Work for the Lord
Offer your sacrifices
Remind Yourself of God's goodness
Smile always
Honor Christ in word and deed
Integrity of Character
Praise Him at all times

Our work, no matter how routine or very challenging it is, it greatly helps if we have the mindset that we are working for the Lord. Therefore, we are able to do things excellently.

When it comes to a point when it is most difficult, we come to offer our sacrifices to God. Take every oppression and suffering as a living sacrifice pleasing to the Lord.

Often we lose focus. One of the best way's to get back on track is to be reminded of God's goodness. The moment we forget that God wants what is best for us, we start to complain and get lost.

Smile always. Needless to say, smiling gives us joy. If at times we don't feel like smiling, a speaker once said, force a smile for about 10 minutes. Sooner or later, we're affected by the smile that we get to carry it for the rest of the time. A saying goes, "If you're happy, don't forget to notify your face."

Honor Christ in word and deed. Is our speech destructive or upbuilding? Do our actions reflect Christ within us? If we truly are Christians, we have to live out our identity.

Integrity of Character simply means that our actions should coincide with our words. Promises made, promises kept. Your word is your bond.

Praise Him at all times. Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise--the fruit of lips that confess his name (Hebrews 13:15). Let us be generous with our praise. God gives us life everyday, let us praise and thank Him always.

Let us live a life of worship. May all we do be blessed by God. Let us worship Him in Spirit and truth.

Recollecting Our Scattered Lives

Coffee shops. A dim lighted place where people meet friends, relax, reflect, meet for business, or get a shot of espresso to perk them up. As I am writing this entry, I am in one right now. Some are having serious heart to heart talks, others browse the net, and some are engaged in explaining their business model. While some are just waiting and making the most out of the free newspaper. For me, it is a time well spent alone reflecting on my life and waiting upon the Lord to speak. For many years, besides chapels, coffee shops have been a place for me to recollect.

Recollect in simple terms is "to collect again." Why do we need to do this? As the days of our lives progress, we come across many people and many circumstances. We find ourselves committing to various responsibilities, and sometimes we are overwhelmed by the things we get into. There are moments that we find our lives as scattered, with no sense of order.

When we recollect, we pick up or collect, again, these scattered pieces of our lives. We put it in the right order and throw away the unnecessary. Without recollection, we cannot develop our inner strength, the strength of soul. Our souls dictate to us our sense of purpose and our true joy. If we do not connect with our souls, we will be living frustrating lives because we will be acting like puppets. As puppets, we are controlled by the dictates of our immediate environment. We are stringed to what people say and tell us. The soul is the life in us, making us live life with no strings attached. Connecting to our souls make us free.

Now, who or what influences our souls? Many are willing to trade the goodness of their souls for money, lust, fame, and power. Let us not corrupt our souls. Let us not allow evil things to take hold of our souls. Sin will suck our souls dry to the bones, until we give up hope and submit to evil.

But the Lord promises His Spirit:

Ezekiel 37:3-5

He asked me: Son of man, can these bones come to life? "Lord GOD," I answered, "you alone know that."Then he said to me: Prophesy over these bones, and say to them: Dry bones, hear the word of the LORD! Thus says the Lord GOD to these bones: See! I will bring spirit into you, that you may come to life.

We connect our souls to God's Holy Spirit. When we recollect, we bring our scattered selves back to the Lord and become united in His Spirit once again. What are ways to recollect? Here are some that I know:

Through prayer, study, sacraments, and service. Prayer, allows us to praise, humble down, surrender, and listen to the Lord. We are recollected of who we are, His servants. Sacraments, lets us receive his graces like how the sacrament of reconciliation through confession releases us from sin, like how the Eucharist allows us to worship and partake of Christ's body and blood. We are recollected that his grace overflows and we need only ask. Study, makes us seek God's wisdom. And service, gives us the chance to put our faith into action. With service, we are recollected that it is not always about ourselves.

May prayer, study, sacraments, and service put our lives in God's perspective. Amidst the clutter, busyness, pollution, and politics of everyday life, may we be able to connect with our souls and bring it forth to be united with the Holy Spirit.

Reflection Questions:
When was the last time that you have recollected?
What are the "scattered" areas in your life that need to be recollected?
How will you put these "scattered" areas in God's order?