Eliminating Garbage

We are now in the exciting process of transferring to a new office location. Every department is readying themselves. Throwing away old useless files, scanning and digitally archiving documents, leaving old furniture, sorting, cleaning, and packing. The idea is to transfer with the least amount of stuff possible.
When we decide to 'transfer' to the Lord, we leave everything behind. We leave our hurts, fears, and failures. We embrace the new life that Jesus has in store for us. We throw away all the useless things that lead us far from Him. St Paul declared, "For His sake I have thrown everything away; I consider it all as mere garbage, so that I may gain Christ...(Phil. 3:8)."
What are we to do to eliminate the garbage in our life?
1. Sort out sin from your conscience.
When sin is embedded in our lives, we tend to condition our consciences that the sin we do is justifiable. Thoughts like, "Everyone is doing it anyway" or "If I don't get caught, then there's no harm done" are our attempts to justify our sins. What we should do is call sin a sin. Let us sort sin out of our consciences, and identify them for what they really are, the devil's schemes.
2. After sorting, throw away the garbage that is sin. Simply said, confess your sins to a priest. The Sacrament of Reconciliation, through God's grace, absolves from our sins. We are cleansed from the garbage in our hearts. " Create in me a clean heart O God (Psalm 51:10)."
3. After throwing away our sinfulness, we then put order in our lives by putting Christ first. When we prioritize Christ, all else follows. " But seek ye first his kingdom, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Mt. 6:33)." By putting Christ first, through prayer, we are tapping on His power to create miracles in our lives. Even in seemingly hopeless situations, we are brought to His perspective and submission to His will. This gives us genuine hope and wisdom that situates our lives in proper order.
It's time to do some sorting of our conscience, cleansing from sin , and putting our lives in order for Christ. Let us eliminate and leave the garbage of evil in our lives and transfer permanently to Christ Jesus, our true home.

Winning Our Battles Within

I came across the song, "Sunday Bloody Sunday" by U2.  In my grade school years, I always woke up with U2 songs being played by my brothers while preparing for school.  I love it's beat and the passionate way Bono sang it.  So, I researched some facts about the song. Here's what I got from songfacts.com.
There are two Bloody Sundays in Irish history. The first was in 1920 when British troops fired into the crowd at a football match in Dublin in retaliation for the killing of British undercover agents. The second was on January 30, 1972, when British paratroopers killed 13 Irish citizens at a civil rights protest in Derry, Northern Ireland. The song is more about the second Bloody Sunday. 


The song reflects on the reality of war and conflict in our world.  It expresses the longing for peace and unity. I particularly like the part when this stanza is sang:


 "How long must we sing this song? How long? How long? Cause tonight we can be as one, tonight." 


What are the battles that rage within us? Are there conflicts between our faith and in our personal integrity?  How long must we endure our internal conflicts, when we can decide to be one with Christ?"


It's almost Easter Sunday.  I look forward to the celebration of victory over sin won by Christ through His resurrection. According to more of the facts about the song, "Bono was trying to contrast the 1972 Bloody Sunday massacre with Easter Sunday, a peaceful day Protestants and Catholics both celebrate (songfacts.com)."  He cites at the last stanza of the song, "The real battle just begun to claim the victory Jesus won.."


Three things we can do to win our internal battles:

1. Surrender to God all your weaknesses.

     Surrendering means giving up our pride, our reasoning, our excuses for sin.  We admit our failures and we declare to God that we need Him to heal us.  Going to confession is a concrete step of surrendering.

2. Submit to His Love

      Know that God's Love is greater than anything we can imagine. Yes, greater than our sins.  We may feel unworthy of His love, but He urges us to accept it and be transformed by it.

3. Seek Support from a Community or a Friend who loves Christ 

      The devil continues to distract and lure us into these battles.  An act of humility would be to confide to someone who can guide and mentor us in our life as a follower of Christ.  Having a community will give us encouragement and wisdom to win over temptations and sin.

Let us acknowledge God's power over sin. Jesus conquered death to show us that in Him we will win and gain new life.  He will make us strong and we shall rise victorious with Him in resurrection.

God Prepares Us For Our Life's Challenges

Finally had time to catch on with some sports activities. Thanks to my household. It's just that since I haven't really had a "real" exercise in the past months, i woke up with a sore body, hardly being able to move. I had muscle pains in places I never knew would ache. It would even hurt when I laugh.

Remembering the passion of Christ, I could just imagine the pain our Lord went through. What was even more difficult was that He knew exactly what He will be going through.  The prayer at Gethsemane must have been excruciating for Him.  Yet, despite of the knowledge of what He will suffer, He still went on with it, telling His angels not to help Him and telling God, "Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing (Luke 23:34)."

When I reflect on the pains that I have gone through in my life, emotionally, physically, and spiritually, I think nothing can compare with the sufferings of our Lord.  We are even spared of the knowledge of our future sufferings and sacrifices.  God prepares us for our life's challenges and won't give us what we can't bear to overcome.  He helps us to go from strength to strength by enduring every problem that comes our way.

Lord, may we not forget Your great love for us, made evident by every wound and every drop of blood you gave for our sake.  We love you so and we pray that our life's sufferings and sacrifices may lead us closer to You. Amen.

Passion for God

I just came from the Youth for Christ Conference in Cagayan de Oro. What's so amazing about the youth is their passion for worship. There I was worshipping with 6,000 other yfcs in awe of God's greatness.

What are the things that we do with passion? Often our passion is connected with God's unique gift to us. Ever wonder why we are fascinated about certain things while others are less enthusiastic about them? We are 'wired' differently from one another, intended for a purpose. We are created in such a way that we will need each other to achieve a great mission. We need to acknowledge the strengths of others as well as our own. We need not even try to mimic the style of others since God designed us to be special.

Spend a significant amount of time, money, and energy on your God given passions. This is how excellent people are made. They focus on their zone of strength and continue to beat their own record.

Make sure your passion contributes to God's mission. If you have to devote to something, make it worth your time by helping God's kingdom spread on earth. Many throw away precious hours to something very temporary, self-indulging or less meaningful. Identify your passion as being part of a great dream.

See Your passion as a form of worship to God. Worship is something that we offer to God because He is worthy, He is holy. Singing to God with songs of praise is one way of worshipping Him. Our passion, whether it is dancing, cooking, or business, when offered to God can be a form of worship.

Above all, let our passion for God drive our lives. This holy week, may we remember our Lord Jesus, ever passionate to save us from our sins. May we respond to Him with the fire of love in our hearts.

Forbidden Fruit Syndrome

tI went to mass the other day, and heard the priest talk about 'The forbidden fruit syndrome.' Looking at wikipedia on forbidden fruit, it defines it as any object of desire whose appeal is a direct result of knowledge that cannot or should not be obtained or something that someone may want but is forbidden to have.
The priest explains that there are two effects of the forbidden fruit syndrome. One, it produces a heightened level of curiosity, knowing its forbidden. I remember that some announcements posted in the club corner of our school wrote 'PLEASE DO NOT READ.' It would actually get more attention and be read more.
Another effect is that when more and more people do what is forbidden, it becomes the norm. Like pre-marital sex in many western countries.
The goal of the enemy is make us bite the fruit. The devil builds up our curiosity through his lies and lure of comfort. After we've given in to temptation, he wants us to justify our actions by blaming others or simply saying 'its in my nature.' After we make our justifications, the devil then wants us to enroll other people in the act until we get the illusion that it's the logical thing or worse that it now becomes the right thing to do.
This is the story of how a personal sin can evolve into a structural sin. We see this happening through corruption, tax evasion, legalized prostitution, legalized abortion, divorce, legalized drug use, and more.
Now in the Philippines, many people think that we are poor because of the population. In fact, the true wealth of a nation is its people. The root of our poverty is one man's personal greed becoming a structured greed. One man taking a bribe and convinces the rest that it's "Standard Operating Procedure." So they blame the population to cover up for greed. Eve takes the bite and convinces Adam that it's okay.
May we stand firm in the Lord and ask God's grace to resist temptation. By the Holy Spirit we shall overcome the lures of the forbidden fruit. It is a matter of valuing our identity as children of God and honoring the gift of free will by choosing to do what is right.
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Moral Authority

Because he spoke this way many came to believe in Him (John 8:30).

When I joined community, it was the first time I heard the words 'Moral Authority.' When one has moral authority, people listen and follow. It is not brought about by position but by the person's integrity and personal holiness. Moral authority is a natural consequence of living a life obedient to the Lord. As we obey God, people also obey our leading since they feel that it is Spirit led.

Jesus led with Moral Authority. The gospel conveyed the boldness in His words. His words are not easy to digest, but because of His moral authority, people believed.

Are there people in your life who do not seem to listen to you? How is your integrity in view of this person?

The R's of Mentoring

Recently my 3 year old son prayed the grace before meals without being told to do so. Normally I would always remind Him and reluctantly he would oblige. But this time, while Sev was taking a snack as I was watching TV, on his own he made the sign of the cross and prayed. Soon he'll be teaching his little sister how to pray. I was happy that we as young parents were able to share the value of prayer.

How do we share to others what we value? First is through Role modeling. Teaching others by example is one of the most effective way of influencing. Second is by Repetition. By consistently practicing, it soon becomes second nature. Third is Replication. Encourage the one your teaching to teach others or to replicate the learning. Fourth is through showing Relevance. Real life application of what you are trying to teach will give better retention. Just recall all the formula you had to memorize in school without realizing what to do with it after you passed your course. We forget them. Expressing relevance will greatly motivate others of the values we want to impart. It allows them to see the significance of what you are teaching in the context of a bigger picture.

Those were the R's of mentoring. The Lord is the best teacher and mentor of all. He was a role model of servant leadership. In many occasions he repeated his good works and was consistent through and through. He empowered others by letting them replicate His miraculous deeds through the Holy Spirit. And lastly all He taught was relevant to our salvation.

Closing the Gap

How would you describe your life at present? What is your description of an ideal life? Try to compare it against what you believe is the description of God's ideal life for you.
The realization of the gap between our concept of an ideal life and God's ideal life for us is a basis of the important decisions we have to make. What does God want us to do? What areas of sin do we have to change so we can be closer to God's plan for our lives? 3 F's that can help us close the gap between our ideal life and God's ideal life for us.

Live a Faith-based life. For we walk by faith and not by sight (2 Cor. 5:7). Make decisions based on your prayers. No matter how solid our plans might seem to be, without faith we will always lack the strength. A life lived with faith in God draws out strength unimaginable. It dissipates our worries knowing God is in control.

Go back to your Foundation of values. Our values should dictate the course of our actions. These values are to be Christ-centered. Along the way in our life's journey, we are exposed to attractive opportunities like a better paying job, a new business, relocating to a new home, loaning for something you want to buy. While these things are good, we might want to ask ourselves, "Are these aligned to our foundation of values?" Some forget to value their family because of a new opportunity. Others fail to value their spiritual life because of their busy financial life. If you are not sure of what your values are, you might want to write down a hierarchy of Christ-centered values. Find out your top priority values.

We need to strive to have Freedom from Bondages. There are certain areas of sinfulness that we can't seem let go. No matter how far we've moved forward in our lives these things have a great potential of pulling us back and enslaving us. God wants us to live a life of authentic freedom. It might seem hard to give up at first. But with humility and a posture of surrender, God will liberate us and put us on track with His plan.
God's plan for our lives will always be a mystery to us. I alone know the plans I have for you (Jeremiah 29:11). But the Lord reveals His plans at the right time, when we are ready. Being Free from bondage, sticking with our Foundation of values, and living a Faith-based life will bring us nearer to His holy will.

I believe that God gives the best for those who give their best for Him. And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him(Romans 8:28)

Know Thy God to Know Thy Self

Me and my cousins were able to visit our lola's youngest sister, lola
Mary. Her neighbors refer to her as Mama Mary. She's now 84 years old.
She's still strong and sharp. She fondly recalls how little we were
and how'd she round us up and force us take our baths.
She invited us to go to her room and take a look at her hidden
treasures...old family pictures! These pictures are very important
since most of our old pics were destroyed when our Cebu ancestral home
burned down. There we were introduced to more of our family. Knowing
more of my family's past gave me stronger sense of self identity.
During the lenten season, we need to take time to know ourselves more.
Jesus went to the wilderness for forty days and nights to prepare
himself for the mission ahead. Here are some things that may help us
in our S.E.L.F. discovery.

Seek the Lord
Prayer always come first. In seeking the Lord, we are journeying
towards our creator. Once we know the Creator, it is easier to
understand His creation... us. The more we know about the Lord, the
better we understand ourselves. But seek ye first his kingdom, and his
righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you (Mt.6:33).


Evaluate Your Life.
What important decisions have you made in your life? Evaluate these
and pray if you are still on track in God's leading for your life.
What are the things should you stop doing, continue doing, and start
doing?

Let go of unnecessary baggages.
It's time to let go of hurts, failures, and even victories. These are
things that drag us. All these we should surrender to God. These can
be a source of pride. In our way towards the Lord, it is important to
travel light, bringing only faith, hope, and love.

Fast.
Fasting disciplines us spiritually. When we sacrifice something for
the Lord, we are detaching materially and physically so we can grow
spiritually. A bishop that gave us a talk said it should be a joyful
fast and not a miserable fast. When we are attuned with our spirit and
God's Spirit, His will for our lives become clearer and our decisions
are done with His wisdom. Fasting allows us to go back to our core. We
get to realize the things we need against the things we want.

Knowing ourselves as sons and daughters of a great God, we act in a
certain way that should honor Him.

Like my lola's old pictures, the Bible helps me realize my own
history in the plan of God for our salvation. May we know ourselves
more by seeking to know more about God.