The Tenacity of St. Paul

One of the traits often heard of St. Paul is his tenacity. Tenacity is to stick with something even when the going gets tough. He was tenacious, for he knew the truth and pressed on.   He even arrived at the conviction that "to live is Christ, and to die is gain (Philippians 1:21)." He also expressed, "We are pressed on every side by troubles, but we are not crushed. We are perplexed, but not driven to despair (2 Cor. 4:8)."

St. Paul was imprisoned, beaten, stoned, shipwrecked, yet he continued in his missionary journey. He knew that what He had to spread was beyond himself. He knew that the Christ is risen and he encountered Him personally.  The Christ whose followers he persecuted, he then served.

Every time I read about the missionary life of St. Paul, I am humbled by the dedication, commitment, and sacrifice that he offered for our Lord. I find myself complaining about the little things or difficulties while here is St. Paul who at his utmost inconvenience in prison, was able to write letters that have become guideposts in our Christian living.

Lord, remind me about St. Paul when I am about to give up because of discouragements and trials.  Enlighten me always about the truth of Your salvation, and that you have given me the mission to spread this good news. Amen.

Why People Like Jeremy Lin

Everybody (well, the men) is talking about this NBA phenom from Harvard, Jeremy Lin.  This guy comes out of the bench of the New York Knicks and suddenly does wonders for the team. In one of his games, he scored 38 points against the Lakers bagging them the win. Not only that, he is excellent in giving assists, making his other team mates even better.  What I like about him is that he is a religious person. In one interview, He openly expressed his faith and said, "...this whole journey is a blessing from God."

Most people today will attribute their success solely on their hardwork, intelligence, and talent.  In this modern age, God is being put out of the picture.  In 2010, the Pope formed the Pontifical Council on New Evangelization because of the problem of secularization in the first world.  He mentions, "The process of secularization has produced a serious crisis of the sense of the Christian faith and role of the Church", and the new pontifical council would "promote a renewed evangelization" in countries where the Church has long existed "but which are living a progressive secularization of society and a sort of 'eclipse of the sense of God'."


It's good to know that famous people like Jeremy Lin, is bringing God back into the picture.  Truly, a new evangelization is needed.  Let us then take every opportunity to proclaim the greatness of the Lord (Luke 1:46) by being Christ's witnesses in this fast-paced and success-driven modern society.

Divine Love on Valentine's Day

Three events that made me think and reflect.  My birthday, the feast of our Lady of Lourdes (same day as my birthday), and Valentine's day. One is about birth, another about a Mother, and the last one about love.

Everybody has a birthday. That one time in the year that we look upon our lives, celebrate, and try to become better as we get older. As I did my resolutions, I looked upon Mother Mary, a model of a true disciple. Someone whose life and virtues are worth emulating.  And as I am writing this reflection, it's Valentine's day. A day which people go out of their way and prepare something to show love for the special people in their lives. Flowers, particularly roses, are usual expressions of love during this day and something I gave to my dear wife Michelle.  Roses too are very related to Mother Mary, as evident by the "rose"-sary (rosary).

The gifts of Birth, Mary our Mother, and Love.  These three remind me of the goodness of God in our lives.  A friend shared to me, "The most basic of all truths is that God is good." He is so good to give us life, a Mother who is always there, and Love exemplified through Christ.  May the roses this Valentine's day remind us not only of the romantic love for a special person, but also of the divine love of Mary our Mother.

Making Others Feel Special

pic from http://www.hem-of-his-garment-bible-study.org

Here's a leadership perspective I heard from author Betsy Myers, "People may not remember what you said or even what you did, but they will remember how you made them feel."  Emotions have a way of imprinting in our consciousness.  This also puts in view on how we relate with the people around us.  Good leaders motivate their people by also being sensitive with their feelings.  I notice that effective leaders talk to individuals as if there was no other agenda besides your concern.  They will zoom in to you and will do their best to immediately address a concern.

I am reminded by a Bible scene where Jesus called Zacchaeus who was up in a Sycamore tree. When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, "Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today (Luke 19:5)."

I can imagine how Zacchaeus must have felt.  I believe this is how the Lord relates to us.  He calls upon us and wants to be with us in the home of our hearts, as if we were the only agenda in His mind.  Let us then rejoice for we have a God who is omnipresent. He is ready to listen and make us truly feel special.

Suggestion Versus Commandment

I went to a coffee shop to study, but i didn't want to get coffee since I had too much already for the day.  So I asked the barista what he recommends.  He then suggested to me a shake that he says I will surely like.  I couldn't really make out what kind of concoction he was trying to serve me. He just mentioned something about a fruit and that it tasted like yogurt. It turned out that his suggestion was okay, and I enjoyed the shake.

With a suggestion, you can either say yes or no.  People who suggest are those who do not have authority over us and hangs by our decision.  But people who have full authority over us can command us, and  our actions will either be to follow or disobey.  The negative implications of not following a suggestion are not usually as grave as not following a command.

When the Lord said, "A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another (John 13:34)," He was not suggesting, the Lord was commanding us.  He didn't say, "I suggest that you love one another as I have loved you...".  Why does the Lord command us?

1. He has authority to do so.  He is God and He is above us, and our obedience is demanded although we are given free will. He loves us so, that we were not born puppets, but creatures with a capacity to decide and choose good or evil.  We need to come to realize that His authority is like more of a father rather than a tyrant.  His authority is born out of love for us.

2. He knows that His commands are good for us.  Our wisdom is limited, while His is all encompassing.  Since God created us, he knows how we are supposed to be as His creation. When God commands, we have to obey because our disobedience will lead us away from Him.  When we are in a state of sin, we are ashamed and our dignity is stripped from us, just like how Adam and Eve realized that they were naked when they disobeyed God.  The 10 Commandments are good for us.  They were not called the "10 suggestions" because the consequences of disobeying are severe. If we "covet our neighbor's wife" we know the kind of tragedy that will fall on our family.

3. To give us direction in life.  His command is a way of revealing His perfect will for us. We often ask, Oh Lord what is in store for my future? What are your plans for me?  I believe that through His commandments, He directs us to the kind of life He wants us to live.  The fruits of our obedience will be the revelation of His plans.  What about the rich young man?


Now someone approached him and said, "Teacher, what good must I do to gain eternal life?" 
He answered him, "Why do you ask me about the good? There is only One who is good.  If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments." He asked him, "Which ones?" And Jesus replied, " 'You shall not kill; you shall not commit adultery; you shall not steal; you shall not bear false witness; honor your father and your mother'; and 'you shall love your neighbor as yourself.'" The young man said to him, "All of these I have observed. What do I still lack?" Jesus said to him, "If you wish to be perfect, go, sell what you have and give to (the) poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When the young man heard this statement, he went away sad, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, "Amen, I say to you, it will be hard for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I say to you, it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for one who is rich to enter the kingdom of God." (Matthew 19: 16-22)


The true result of total obedience and observance to God's commandments will be a life of surrender to the Lord, putting Him first in our lives; even above our wealth and following Him to eternity.


The Lord does not command us to do something to our own demise.  He gives us commandments  rather than just suggestions because if He says so, it is sure to be good. God is good...all the time. 

Stopping-over and Moving Forward

Over the weekend, I went to Baguio through a 7-hour bus trip going there and another 7-hour trip riding with friends going back to Manila. My favorite parts of the trip are the stop-overs. Besides getting a good stretch and a rest room break, I can take a snack and buy some things I forgot for the trip.

Stop-overs. In our life do we have stop-overs? Is our life in a constant rush?  The opposite can be, "Are we stuck in a stop-over?"


Some reflections on moving forward in life:


1. Life is a marathon, not a sprint.  In a sprint, you give it all you've got from start to finish since it has a short distance. In a marathon, you pace yourself, taking important breaks to regain strength for the long haul. Some give up in running the marathon, some pursue it until they reach the finish line.  We aim to reach the finish line. "I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus (Phil 3:14).


2. Rest if you must, but never give up. It is natural to get tired specially after consecutive days of pressure and concerns.  Maybe because of our lapses in prayer or a lack of focus, we get burned out.  If we are certain that we are doing what the Lords is calling us to do, then we are to be faithful.  We can take our time to cry and heal, but we must pursue the mission.  Like a bow, it's string has to be loosened when not in use, otherwise it will affect its effectiveness.  Have a stop-over, relieve the stress, retreat into prayer, and regain your strength.


3. Move forward with the Spirit.  In the journey of life, we encounter crossroads. We make decisions, some of which are life changing.  How much prayer do we put into our decisions?  Where is God leading us?  We must realize that each of us has a God-appointed mission on earth.  Will our decision bring us closer to His mission for us?  Many of us just make a pros and cons table and weigh our options.  We can be practical thinkers, but we have to also take into consideration the important aspects like family time, service to God, and how our talents and gifts contribute to building God's kingdom.  Some of us cannot decide and we get stuck in our "stop-overs." Let us move forward knowing in our hearts where the Spirit is leading our lives.


The journey to Baguio and back was long, but the trip was worth the trouble because of the destination. All of us are in a bus ride towards heaven.  It's a long ride, at times frustrating, but we have to set our hearts "heavenward" and be led by His Spirit to get there.  And yes by His grace, we will get there.

Worth It

While in the Holy Land, we went through the "Via Dolorosa" or the way of suffering.  It also the name of the street referring to the path that Jesus walked while carrying the cross.  As part of the pilgrimage, we took turns in bearing the cross and stopping at the very locations of the fourteen stations.  The cross I carried was light.  I was not tied to it nor was I being whipped to get me moving. I did not carry it all the way to the crucifixion site and had just about 7 minutes in carrying the cross with the support of my wife Michelle at the back end. With the cold breeze, I was wrapped in my comfy jacket and scarf while Jesus was almost naked and fresh with wounds from the whipping and crowning of thorns.

It was an experience for me to even more appreciate the depth of Christ's love for mankind. He could have chosen not to suffer at all, but He chose to save us. For Him, we were worth it.

What are the crosses you carry?  Are you carrying them for the Lord, just as He carried the cross for you?  Like my experience in the Via Dolorosa, my own suffering with my crosses in life pail in comparison with the kind of physical and emotional suffering that Christ went through with His Cross.  And even yet if we suffer more than what Christ went through, can we say that Christ is worth it?

As for me, I can think of nothing else greater and more worthy than our Lord Jesus Christ.  "The apostles left the high council rejoicing that God had counted them worthy to suffer disgrace for the name of Jesus (Acts 5:41)."

Lord, you are worth the sufferings we go through. Forgive us of the times we complain because of little discomforts, delays, or disappointments.  May we learn to value the Cross and realize daily that through Your suffering we are offered salvation.  Thank you for considering us to be worth it.  Amen.

"In him we have redemption by his blood, the forgiveness of transgressions, in accord with the riches of his grace that he lavished upon us (Ephesians 1:7-8)."