4 Qualities of Children That Will Make You Great

"Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven." Matthew 18:4

In one of our Sunday family bonding times in a restaurant,  my wife and I posed a question for each member: "Name five great blessings from God today." Having in mind something that the children can easily relate, I answered, "The food on my plate, the coffee I'm drinking, the money in my pocket,  your mom and you kids." When it was the turn of my 4-year old daughter Kaitlyn,  she said, "My blessings are: love, earth, food, friends, and family." My jaw dropped. I was expecting,  toys, ice cream and the like.

I was humbled by my own child.

"Jesus had a particular love for children because of 'their simplicity, their joy of life, their spontaneity, and their faith filled with wonder," said St. John Paul II. These are some child-like qualities we can ponder on and humbly adopt:

1. Simplicity
Have we the simplicity of a child? Yes, children want a lot of things; pointing to toys here and there -- but it’s about the simplicity of asking their fathers---in dependence---of they what they need. Have we simply asked God of what we need or do we complicate things with our pride and intellect? God is the source of all things great and small.

2. Joyfulness

Are we as joyful as children? When children play -- they play. Play means a lot to them, it’s the highlight of their day. I am not saying we should have a happy-go-lucky outlook amidst real life challenges -- we should deal with these problems; it’s just that many of us forget to “play” or to enjoy the beauty of life. Some of us have a negative thing to say of just about anything. Instead of being joyful, we become overly-cautious, mistrusting, and proud. Have a joyful mind-set; don’t be “nega.” For the overly busy ones, take time to rest and play -- and smile. Go ahead be joyful!

3. Spontaneity

A child is spontaneous; living in the moment! The adventurous person inside us needs to come out! I’m not talking about recklessness, but a life of adventure in the Lord. Say yes to that mission trip; climb that mountain; join that marathon; enroll in culinary; write that book. Be spontaneous! Just to put things in perspective,  Malcolm Gladwell would describe spontaneous this way: “Basketball is an intricate, high-speed game filled with split-second, spontaneous decisions. But that spontaneity is possible only when everyone first engages in hours of highly repetitive and structured practice--perfecting their shooting, dribbling, and passing and running plays over and over again--and agrees to play a carefully defined role on the court. . . . spontaneity isn't random.” There too is a discipline in spontaneity; the discipline of prayer allows us to realize the adventures that God wants us to experience.

4. Faith filled with Wonder

Often, my 7 year old son asks me tough theological questions: “Why is Jesus “yayay” (hurt)?” or “What does ‘Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world’ mean?” With much curiosity and anticipation he awaits my answers -- with wonder.  We take a cue from the faith of a child.  A child has a  “faith seeking understanding.” (St. Anselm) If we have a child-like faith, we will not stop learning about our faith. We’d be excited to go to Church and listen to the Word of God and the homily; we’d be buying books to enrich our faith-knowledge.

In the eyes of the child, “Everything is Awesome.” (The Lego Movie)  Especially for a toddler who mostly sees, smells, touches, tastes, and hears things for the first time.  We too can see all of life as an awesome gift of God; not to be overly-familiar but constantly renewed with gratefulness and wonder.

Let us be fully aware of our being God’s children; greatly loved in the Kingdom of Heaven. Let us be in the Father’s arms -- simple, joyful, spontaneous, and with a faith filled with wonder!  We are great in the eyes of God, just as how an earthly father looks at his own children, but infinitely more and in the most perfect sense. To be great is to acknowledge in all humility that we are God’s children.

Picking up Momentum

When you feel like you're losing, try winning at one small thing and from there pick up your momentum! The Mustard seed is "the smallest of all the seeds, yet when full-grown it is the largest of plants." (Mt.13:32) Have faith!

Saturated With Grace

Like a sponge, we too, absorb. It can't be helped that in a day we are immersed in situations that seep in the negative: random people cursing and badmouthing; heavy winding traffic; sudden work pressures; family misunderstandings; and other unexpected concerns that weigh on us. Yet, we too can absorb the positive: God's Grace! At the start of the day, we have to soak in the Holy Spirit -- saturated in Grace through prayer and especially the Sacraments (daily Mass is highly recommended). Once saturated with Grace that sanctifies, all the absorbed negatives will be purified and met with faith, hope, and love. Burdens become challenges; the mundane turns exciting; hopeless cases find faith; anger trimmed to calmness; and work transforms into mission. Be a "gracious sponge" today!

Created with Divine Reason

If one does not learn more about his faith, his faith will not stand strong. Reason---our desire for truth---is needed to enrich our spiritual life; as much as our reasoning (secular, that is) is enlivened---given purpose---by the spirituality of our faith. In perspective, Benedict XVI mentions: “If man were merely a random product of evolution in some place on the margins of the universe, then his life would make no sense or might even be a chance of nature. But no, Reason is there at the beginning: creative, divine Reason.” God made us with his creative love: for a purpose, for a reason; to be in Love, to be in God. Our Creator perfectly desires for us to believe in Him and gradually deepen our divine love relationship with Him through Christ in the Holy Spirit. John 15:9 says, "As the Father loves me, so I also love you. Remain in my love." We have to stay in love, "stay in God." One who has not God's inexhaustible love, will be exhausted with life. Love will propel us to understand our reason for being. Our continuos understanding of our faith will make us excellent people; for now we can work, serve, and relate beyond the motivation of incentives but from a realization of our God-given role in this world. 

Desire, Depend, and Delight in God's Grace

God's Grace, a gift not earned nor deserved. Like a birthday gift; we didn't actually "earn" to be born in this world to merit a gift every year. Nor did we have to "deserve" being born; we simply came to be by the miracle of pro-creation. Grace "depends entirely on God's gratuitous initiative, for he alone can reveal and give himself." (Catechism of the Catholic Church 1998) Grace though, to be received as a gift, we have to be there -- and not be lost in our sinfulness. We have to be "present for the present (gift)". That is why repentance---by the inner prompting of the Holy Spirit--- is the first step to once again be available for His grace; having that faith in Jesus, that through the power of the Holy Spirit, we will be sustained and strengthened.  We humbly ask for this free gift, so we become true followers of Jesus -- desiring, depending, and delighting on His grace that enables and ennobles.

Therefore, first, desire Grace. Do we want to receive it? Are we too proud that we can go through life on our own without grace?  Our desire for Grace is manifested in our actions.  Going to Mass and confession as often as we can shows our desire.

Second, depend on Grace. It is not that we do not work at all and just wait for good things to happen. Depending on grace is acknowledging that our all our efforts and successes are there because God gave it -- He blessed it, and will continue blessing.  By his grace we achieve; we are able to serve; we endure suffering; we are able to provide for ourselves and for others. "Grace is favor, the free and undeserved help that God gives us to respond to his call to become children of God...". (CCC 1996) By depending on grace, we are sanctified -- made holy, and therefore strong.

Lastly, delight in Grace. There is true happiness in the realization of grace for "Grace is a participation in the life of God (CCC 1997)."  We delight in God, in His grace.  Happiness, which eludes many of us, can only be attained by His Grace. For "the grace of the Holy Spirit has the power to justify us, that is, to cleanse us from our sins and to communicate to us "the righteousness of God...". (CCC 1987) It is when we are truly free from the enslavement of sin and when we are  living in his righteousness can we experience indescribable joy!

May we be like Mary---who is full of Grace---ever desiring, depending, and delighting in God! 

1. Am I responding to the grace of the Holy Spirit within me that prods for repentance?

2. Is living in the Grace of God something I desire?

Do Not Pamper Your Fear

Fear can paralyze.  Our imagination of the worst case scenario can stir emotions in us that make us retreat instead of bravely marching forward. But let us be assured -- God is always ahead of us. 

"It is the Lord who marches before you; he will be with you and will never fail you or forsake you. So do not be dismayed (Deut 31:8)."

A missionary priest shared to us, "When you go to a mission area, do not presume that you are 'bringing' Christ to the place. Christ is already there, waiting to use you. Christ is already with the people you will serve. You will meet Christ there." True enough, in the missions that I do, I am always amazed of how the Lord talks to me through the people I serve. The Lord surprises me of the unforeseen opportunities that he opens up for the mission -- especially at times when oppressions happen. The Lord's promise of not forsaking us should make us the bravest person of all. 

The only thing that blocks us from moving forward is that we are pampering our fear instead of conquering it with faith. We feed it, entertain it, and nurture it -- and so it grows until it eats us up. 

Let us not make fear our best friend -- Christ is. Peter was walking on water when Christ called him. But whenPeter feared the strong winds, he started to sink. We should trust more the One who commands the strong winds to stop; He who lifts us up when we start to sink.

Many of us fear this one thing -- the future. Fears that affect our future: fear of not having enough, the fear of loss, the fear of not being good enough, the fear of not meeting high expectations. Fr. Joel Jason in one of his homilies said, "When you plan for your future, make a faith declaration not a fear declaration." We must work hard not out of fear but out of faith. Fear can make us greedy, while faith can make us generous -- and when we share, the Lord blesses us a hundred fold. Just ask those who tithe.

Faith is a response to the reality of God in our lives. When Jesus revealed the true nature of God as our Father, He was not only talking about any other father but the reality of a perfect Father! A Father who knows the number of hair on our heads, who knows us more than we can ever know ourselves, who looks at us lovingly and assures us, "I will never fail you or forsake you."

So let us put our faith forward and march on. Be brave, God marches before us!

God Is In Our Favor

My son,” Abraham answered, “God will provide the sheep for the burnt offering.” Then the two walked on together. Gen. 22:8

Abraham, knowing that Isaac is the actual sacrifice, hoped in the Lord to provide a substitute for Isaac.  Having hope amidst desperate situations is what The Lord requires. As well as having faith that The Lord has a purpose for our obedience.

Having encountered The Truth--who is God, Abraham obeyed without question even if it was excruciating for him. I would have thought, "How can God ask this of me?" Yet an encounter with The Truth makes us realize that all we see are His--even our children, that He is good all the time, and that He always acts in our favor.

To Jesus Through Mary

I recently visited the Our Lady of Piat Bascilica in Cagayan Valley.  Thousands of devotees flock the Shrine, especially on July 2, it's feast day. It's one of the most venerated Marian images in the Philippines

Many miracles have been reported to happen through the Intercession of Our Lady of Piat.  To mention some are ending a persistent drought in 1624, boy recovering from insanity, a native from Piat freed from the grip of a crocodile, a child cured from leprosy, rescuing of drowning people in Pamplona, and other testimonies throughout time.

Yes, miracles happen. It's not old-fashioned belief. The same God Whose stories of miracles upon miracles are highlighted in the Bible is still performing miracles and very much alive today. Prayers made through the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary makes our faith stronger.  There is much power in intercession.

"This motherhood of Mary in the order of grace continues uninterruptedly from the consent which she loyally gave at the Annunciation and which she sustained without wavering beneath the cross, until the eternal fulfillment of all the elect. Taken up to heaven she did not lay aside this saving office but by her manifold intercession continues to bring us the gifts of eternal salvation . . . . Therefore the Blessed Virgin is invoked in the Church under the titles of Advocate, Helper, Benefactress, and Mediatrix." (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 969)

When we tell someone, "Please pray for me", we are are asking him/her to intercede for us.  If we ask others for their intercession, how much more powerful it would be if we ask the angels, saints, and especially Mama Mary to pray for us. 

Not only do those in heaven pray with us, they also pray for us. In the book of Revelation, John sees that "the twenty-four elders [the leaders of the people of God in heaven] fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints" (Rev. 5:8). Thus the saints in heaven offer to God the prayers of the saints on earth. (Source: Catholic.com)

To Jesus through Mary, may our faith increase and may the miracles we pray for be granted according to His will.
 

Stop Living in a Bubble

We bought this special bubble formula from the bazaar and had loads of fun when we got home. The kids couldn't wait to pop the bubbles.  The bigger they were, the more fun it would be to burst them. I imagined that if the formula were stronger, I could make a bubble big enough to "live in it."

At times, we hear the expression, "living in a bubble."  It means isolating yourself from the world, to protect yourself from possible dangers. There was even a movie in 2001, Bubble Boy, that literally depicted this idiom. Bubble boy was under the impression that he had to live in the bubble because he might get infected by the outside world.  But as it turned out, it was safe. It was because of the overly protective mother's idea that led to this predicament.

What is that risk that you should take to make life better?  Have you risked anything for God? Faith requires risk. St. Paul said in Hebrews 11:1, "Faith is the realization of what is hoped for and evidence of things not seen."  Often when we hope for something, but before taking action, we wish to see it first before we believe it. Faith is evidence of things not seen.

God does not want us to live in a bubble. He wants us to go and live an exciting life. Not to play it too safe, but venture with the blessings God has given us. In the parable of the talents, Jesus pointed out how the master reprimanded the person who hid the one talent given to him. ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I did not plant and gather where I did not scatter? Should you not then have put my money in the bank so that I could have got it back with interest on my return? 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: 26-29)

Besides, the bubble decieves you to thinking that it will protect you. No bubble is infinitely stable. Sooner than expected, it will burst. What are the bubbles that we live in? What are we overprotecting ourselves from?

1. Overprotecting ourselves from the possibility of failure.

Still, the best way to learn is to actually fail at something.  I'm not talking about failing because of laziness or a lack of diligence, but failing despite giving our all.  Tom Peters would refer this as excellent failures.  Life is full of challenges and the fear of failure is something that traps us in a bubble. This makes us afraid of making bold decisions.  The fear of failure can paralyze our lives.

2. Overprotection from getting hurt

When somebody hurts us, specially a loved one, we tend to deflect from the possibility of getting hurt again. This makes our hearts closed to loving again. A betrayal is especially traumatic. We grieve over this hurt.  Often we make this hurt like a bubble to protect us from future hurts. I'd like to quoute a cartoon movie that I viewed with my kids, Tale of Desperaux. It says in the movie, "There is something greater than grief...forgiveness."  Once we forgive others, and especially ourselves, we can move forward in life and learn to love again. Yes, there is a possibility of getting hurt again, but one cannot experience the fullness of love unless the heart is open and vulnerable.  A good image of this is are the hearts of Jesus and Mary, crowned with thorns and pierced by a sword.

3.  Overprotecting the people, things, and the work we love

I love my kids and I'll die if I have to in order to protect them. But one day, when they are all grown up and capable to make decisions on their own, It'll be the time wherein I have to trust them in making the right choices and trust God that they be led to the right path.  We have to let go and let God. It is in empowering others that dignity is raised.  We cannot do everything for the people we love, especially when they have to really do it themselves like choosing the right course in college or answering to a vocation. 
Sometimes in work, because of our obsession for perfection, we hog all the work and end up tired while leaving others disempowered.
When we grow an attachment to things we love, like money or possessions, we can't bear to lose them.  We'll do anything to keep it, even by hook or by crook.  We cannot overprotect to the point of compromising our integrity and our faith.

Let us live freely! With full trust in the Lord, Peter, James and John left their nets and followed Jesus.  They let go of the very thing they knew and loved to do which is to be fishermen. Many of the apostles were persecuted, even martyred for the sake of Christ.  They even witnessed Jesus being nailed to the cross, and thought that all they did failed, until the Holy Spirit revived and empowered them to preach to the ends of the earth.

Let us go through life, full of faith in the Lord, willing to risk what we hold dear for the sake of His Name. Let us open our hearts, vulnerable to hurt, but entered with the grace of God to love others beyond our capacity. 

Viral Faith

Faith is strengthened when it is given to others. -Redemptoris Missio

Today, I acquired this flu virus that's been spreading in the office these past few weeks. I thought I'd be strong enough to resist, but no, I still caught it.

It made me reflect on "Faith going viral". Are we spreading the faith? Are we contagious witnesses of the Good News?

Evangelization, though challenging, has a very simple faith formula: "Love one another as I have loved you (John 13:34)." If we can love others like Christ does, then faith shall spread. Consistent witnessing is tantamount to growth in evangelization.

Bishop Ambo, in his homily said "Bad news is contagious but Good news is even more contagious." The question we can ask ourselves is "Do we bring good news?" How often do we catch ourselves complaining, blaming, and frustrated? As if hope is gone.

People compromise their faith because of the loss of hope. The hope that one day, corruption will be a thing of the past or spouses will be more faithful to their vows or teens will save sex for marriage, will keep us striving for the ideal and not settle for less. When society becomes less hopeful, compromises happen. That's when laws that are anti-life start to get proposed. When society loses its faith in God, its concept of hope diminishes. But love can bring it back. If we love with the strength that comes from God, then anything is possible.

Faith, hope, and love are indeed connected to each other. St. Paul pointed out, "And the greatest of these is love (1 Cor. 13:13)."

Let us spread faith and hope by being infected with the contagious love of Christ.
 

God Answers Our Prayers

When we ask in faith, like the blind man in Luke 18, we will be saved.

 What do you want me to do for you? He replied, "Lord, please let me see."
Jesus told him, "Have sight; your faith has saved you." (Luke 18: 41-42).

We praise God for the many answered prayers he has granted in our lives. Like the blind man who asked in faith, we too have experienced big and small miracles in our lives. But there are times too that it seems that our prayers go unanswered. Times when we desperately needed a miracle, but it just didn't come. We also pray for something or "someone" important to happen in our lives and that miracle hasn't come yet and its been years. I'd like to reflect and share on 3 things pertaining to our faith that might help us when it seems that our prayers are not being heard.

1. God's plan is always better than our own. 

There is a divine reason why our prayers don't go our way: His way is better. And if our prayers are answered exactly as we ask it, it is because it matches with His will for us. God is always faithful and He is perfect. In faith, all our prayers have already been answered, as to when and how, we leave it to God because He knows best.

2. We have to endure in prayer.

Jesus heals to save us, totally. The miracle is in the saving of our souls. Often we ask for physical healing or financial miracles, but it is in the spiritual healing that we are ultimately saved. That is why we pray-over someone in order for the person to ask in faith and that faith will purify and heal the soul. The essence of total Christian liberation is in freeing the person from the physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual bondages brought by sin. God heals totally by means of the faith we put in Him. Total healing and liberation is a process and not a one-shot deal. The constant prayers we offer to Jesus, should mold us to become more and more like Him. The mother of St. Augustine, St. Monica , became a saint because of her persistence in praying for her son's conversion. As she endured in prayer, she herself became holy. And yes, her prayers were answered. Augustine did not only convert and reform his ways but also became one of the greatest saints that ever lived.

3. Faith without action is dead.

 So also faith of itself, if it does not have works, is dead.  (James 2:17)

Like the blind man, he did not only have full faith that Jesus would heal him, he also exerted his best effort. He put his faith into action.

He shouted, "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me!"
The people walking in front rebuked him, telling him to be silent, but he kept calling out all the more, "Son of David, have pity on me!"  Then Jesus stopped and ordered that he be brought to him; (Luke 18: 38-40)

Despite that the people were hindering the blind man to approach Jesus, he persisted and acted upon the situation. If we want financial miracles, we have to get off the couch and act upon it! If we want to get better physically, we have to sweat it out in exercise or find means to buy medicine. There will be many hindrances and distractions along the way in asking Jesus to heal and save us, but we have to focus and work doubly hard. Pray hard and work hard! At the end, it is by His grace that we are saved, not by the merit of our works. But if through these works we are led to a stronger faith in Him, then grace abounds.

Let us continue to pray knowing that God is faithful and perfect. When the right time comes in His wonderful and mysterious ways, that our prayers are manifested, let us give glory to Him Who saves!

"When they saw this, all the people gave praise to God." Luke 18:43

Marvelous!

Behind us is one of the tallest Christmas trees I've seen so far this season. I think it's 5 floors high. It's just in our neighborhood in Cubao. People stop, smile, and marvel at this big tree. Christmas is truly in the air.

When was the last time we marveled at something? Often we take many awesome things in our life for granted. Neil Pasricha, In his TED talk, the 3A's of Awesome, he called this 'Awareness'. He refers to seeing life through the eyes of a 3-year old. Toddlers see many things in this world for the first time, and marvel at it.God created a marvelous world. He created it so, so we can live happy and be awed by life. What blinds us from marveling? I can think of three.

1. When we stop thanking God.

Having a grateful heart leads us to acknowledge the joy in everyday things. Notice that if we forget to thank God, we complain most of the time. At the end of the day, thank the Lord of at least 3 things.

2. When our worries overcome our faith.

Sometimes our days are filled with fears and doubts about our future. We must be aware if we are becoming 'weary worriers' instead of prayer warriors. We sometimes fail to acknowledge that God provides. Let us marvel for a while at how God provides for the birds, the fishes, the plants and the rest of the living things in this world. Yet God loves us more than these things. Surely, our faith should be greater than our worries.

3. When we focus too much on ourselves.

In helping others, we can marvel at God's mission for us on this earth. But if we are too greedy specially with our time, and we are not be able to serve, we will eventually lose sight of our purpose. What is your "occupation" or what occupies most of your time? Shouldn't God's mission for you take priority? I'm not saying that you should quit your job. But how is your job helping you fulfill God's purpose for you, which is to help build His kingdom on earth? Marvel in the discovery of your mission and live an amazing journey with Him according to His purpose. Let us see life with lenses of faith. Let not our ungratefulness, worries, and self-centeredness blind us. Find God in all things and...marvel!

The LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes. Psalm 118:23

Rock Solid Faith in the Lord

While in Batanes, we came upon a row of stone houses located near the sea shore. The stone houses were built to withstand the worst storms. The people there through time developed this design out of the many experiences they had with all kinds of treacherous weather.

If the conviction of our faith is like a house, what is it made of? Is it made of stones or rocks that is immovable and strong even through tough conditions? Is the conviction of our faith made of Nipa (dried leaves made into straw), that when tested by winds of peer pressure or popular opinion will easily be blown down?

How can we build up our conviction?

1. Study and research about your faith. Nothing imprints on our minds and hearts better than the process of reading through and noting down. Discovering more about the faith through a laborious undertaking convicts us.

2. Engage in discussion with others. Our stand is tested in engaging through dialogue. By conveying and defending our beliefs to others, our convictions are deepened.

3. Have an Intimate relationship with the Lord. Having this type of relationship with God makes our faith like solid rock. Peter was referred to as the "Rock." He truly had a strong relationship with Jesus and he was convicted in his faith until his death.

Let us have a solid rock faith conviction; immovable and constant amidst winds that want to blow us to the direction of sin and pride.

He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built.

He is like a man building a house, who dug down deep and laid the foundation on rock. When a flood came, the torrent struck that house but could not shake it, because it was well built. (Luke 6:48)

Finishing Strong!

My son Sev and I joined the CFC Ancop Global Walk to sponsor scholars. It was participated by about 80,000 people. It was a 5km distance and Sev was on his bike. At first I doubted if Sev could finish the whole stretch. But my son was determined. It also helped that I was encouraging him. We took it slow, enjoying every bit of the scenery and the people until we finished the race. We were not ahead of the rest but I could say that we finished strong!
In our walk with the Lord, we can easily have doubts along the way. Some of us start strong with our relationship with Him, only to give it up later in life. Somehow we get tired and succumb to the weaknesses of our humanity. But the Lord is there to encourage us and to show us how to enjoy our journey with Him until we reach the end. So how do we finish strong? We must have...

1. Faith that God wants the best for our lives. The Lord wants us to reach heaven and he'll do everything to help us get there. We go through trials to strengthen our faith and practice humility, so we may fully embrace the cross. We have to keep on believing in him in both good and bad times to reach heaven, our finish line. We have to...

2. Invite the Lord daily to walk with us. Prayer and Scripture is key. The Lord encourages us through His Word. But if we don't invite Him and take time to listen, we might just miss out His message that will give us hope and determination. We have to seek...

3. Nourishment to gain strength. Attending Mass regularly is the ultimate nourishment. The Eucharist gives us the grace to partake in the body and blood of Christ that will quench our thirst and hunger. We are also nourished through the relationships in the community of believers. We must gain...

4. Inspiration from those who successfully finished. One of my inspirations is a video in You Tube about a father who entered an Iron Man race with his son who could not walk and speak. They called their team "My Redeemer lives." Despite the odds, the father pressed on and finished the race. I was inspired to tears. We also know of countless saints who like us, humans with weaknesses, have kept the faith and finished strong in life. We can draw inspiration from them.

5. Seek ye first the Kingdom of God. And yes, all these things shall be added unto you. What slows us down are the many distractions along the race. We get sidetracked by our own greed and selfish ambitions. We must remember that if God comes first, everything else will be put in order.

6. Help others along the way. God calls us to evangelize and bring glad tidings to the poor. In fact the only way to reach the finish line, heaven, is if we have helped the poor around us.
Let us strive to finish strong by being faithful to the end. His grace will give us strength to endure and reach the finish line.

I continue my pursuit toward the goal, the prize of God’s upward calling, in Christ Jesus. Phil. 3:14

Gloom to Glory

August 7, 2012, 8pm
And the monsoon rains keep on pouring down...It's been raining like crazy. I wonder when the rain will ever stop, it's relentless. Watching the news of flood victims breaks my heart. Water levels are at the roof tops in many areas. Some flyovers are almost caught up by flood. While all these are happening, my wife Michelle can give birth anytime. She's starting to feel the contractions. It's probably the worst time to go to the hospital since the streets are flooded and our doctor's residence area is also affected by it. It's a gloomy situation on the streets as I made my way to buy some emergency groceries. There will be days of gloom in our lives. But gloom doesn't mean doom. Times like these remind us that there are things beyond our control and that Someone bigger than us can help.Days of gloom bring us down to our knees before God. We are brought to a point of an honest and sincere conversation with Him. Yes, the trying times will bring us closer to Him. We may find it hard to understand His plan for us, specially in painful circumstances. Our 'rational' minds and the feelings in our hearts are too primitive compared to God's infinite wisdom and love. Yet, our Lord Jesus showed us the way to the Almighty by teaching us to relate to God as our Father. Like a little child, there are things that we cannot comprehend about the father's ways. We sometimes cry over things that we do not know can be good for us in the future. Days of gloom are allowed by the Father so we can bloom in the strength of our faith.There will always be times of testing, especially in days of gloom. Here we come to know our true self; where we stand, what we believe in, our level of courage, and the depth of our faith. We might breakdown or breakthrough. We can either lose hope or find faith. We were not created puppets. We were created as children in His likeness. With the gift of life, through His love we are granted the freedom to choose. Hoping that we choose what is right, what brings life, and what reflects His love. Times of testing, these days of gloom, will surface our weaknesses and how far our pride and self-idolatry has taken us. We pray to God for mercy and the grace to embrace humility.Gloom does not mean doom. There is hope in every person and in every season. The best in us also surface in these times. Our heroism, our faith, and our love go the distance in these unusual occasions...if we choose to. Christ, in His days of gloom suffered and died. His sacrifice was not that of doom, but of resurrection. From gloom to glory.Let us then choose as what Christ had chosen in His days of gloom. He chose the Father's will amidst excruciating and unimaginable physical and emotional pain. Christ's heroism cannot be surpassed for He saved us all. He chose to see the glory of God beyond the gloom.
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When Big Things Come

In the middle of much work and rush for the events, we ordered a 30-inch pizza for a short break and fellowship. Its not the usual pizza size. Everybody would say "it's big!" We had our fun and our fill as we it finished off.
There are a lot of "big" things that come our way. We have big blessings and big opportunities as well as big decisions and big challenges. What is our attitude when these big things come?
My children who are 5 and 2 years old, are very fond of watching 3 little pigs. And of course aside the pigs, with them is the Big bad wolf. We all know that the pig who built his house with bricks was safe from the big bad wolf. He was ready.
When Big things come, we should be ready. Let us therefore...
1. Have Big Faith
Knowing that we have a God who is bigger than any of our problems will give us hope to endure and overcome. Having big faith will also help us stay focused when big blessings come. Many who receive much often forget the Lord. When blessed with a business, we forget God because we become too busy. When blessed with a special love relationship, some stop serving. Having big faith will make us remember that we are here for God and that He is here for us.
2. Have a Big Plan.
The Lord blessed us with intellect and sense enough to "build a house of bricks." The problem would be our laziness. Have a Big plan. Get a pen and paper and start envisioning, setting goals, and putting them into action. In this way, we know what to do when challenges come and we would also know how to share our big blessings. Having a big plan will aid us in making Big Decisions in life. Most of all we have to discern if this big plan is God's plan for our lives.
3. Have a Big Heart.
When it's pressure time, we will come to know the size of our hearts. We will be able to measure our capacity to love. We can start to expand our hearts by exercising love even in the simplest of things like affirming people and volunteering to help. When blessings come, specially monetary blessings, a big heart will remind us that happiness is not about money but about the joy we give others and to God. A big heart will help us weather the big storms in our lives by knowing what matters, by enduring in painful times, by learning to sacrifice, and by preserving our relationships.
Don't let the big things overwhelm you. Rejoice always and be grateful for our Big God is in control if we surrender to Him.
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Entering A New World

It was Kaitlyn's first day of school yesterday.  We took some time off from work and brought her to school. The feeling of sending our child to enter a new world of friends and mentors is exciting and frightening at the same time. We want the best for our kids, but we are also aware of the elements of the "outside world." Well I guess, as they grow older they become more and more detached and independent from us.  I praise God that our daughter is starting to engage in the world of education, even just at the play level.

What "new world" have we entered lately? New work environment, new school, new classmates, new friends, new business?  Entering into these can be both exciting and frightening. Exciting because of the break from the usual and the learning we can get from the endeavor or the environment.  Frightening because of the idea of change, and we are afraid that we might not cope or live up to it.

What can be our posture in entering "new worlds"?

1. A posture of trust in the Lord. Peter when walking off the boat, entered into an impossible situation, a new kind of world where one can walk on water.  He was frightened, but his trust in the Lord was more than his fears, so he stepped off the boat and into the water.  If we are centered in the Lord, we will dare do things that is beyond our capabilities.

At once [Jesus] spoke to them, “Take courage, it is I;* do not be afraid.” Peter said to him in reply, “Lord, if it is you, command me to come to you on the water.” Matthew 14:27-28

2. A posture of reaching out. Peter sank when he heard and felt the rushing wind. But the Lord held Peter's outstretched arms and saved Him.  When we are caught in the middle of things and feel desperate, we have to reach out in prayer.  We can sink into being paralyzed with too many work or dealing with our own lack of self-confidence. Christ will save us bring us out of our fears and move us into action. 


 But when he saw how [strong] the wind was he became frightened; and, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me!” Immediately Jesus stretched out his hand and caught him, and said to him, “O you of little faith,* why did you doubt?” Matthew 14: 30-31


3. A posture of thanksgiving. With God as our strength, we will overcome and be victorious. Let us thank God for all our blessings and successes.  Sometimes when we achieve progress, our dependence on the Lord will loosen up.  We tend to think that we did it because we earned it by ourselves and because of our innate abilities. If this happens, it is because our pride has reached our heads.  By thanking the Lord each day, we are brought back to the humble posture that all glory is His.


After they got into the boat, the wind died down. Those who were in the boat did him homage, saying, “Truly, you are the Son of God.” Matthew 14: 32-33


As we enter into new worlds, let us not be overcome by fear for the Lord wants us to grow in faith and He is there to save us.  Our challenge in life is to dare great things in His name.

An Honoring For My Love

Michelle, my wife, celebrated her birthday on a rainy Sunday. We had a unique celebration. Instead of going out, we ate at home. Had some cake, pizza and pasta. Kids were happily doing their impersonations of cartoon characters and we had fun singing the whole night.

I'd like to honor my wife. First, for being a woman of faith. Her prayers keep the family strong. She always reminds the kids to pray and love Jesus. Second for her patience, I'm not the easiest person to be with. But her humility and forgiving heart makes me learn more of God's ways. And third for her love, which makes her special, ever beautiful, and so easy to love.

Thanks love, for being God's gift to me and the kids. May God continue to make you a woman of faith, patience, and love.

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"Weather Weather Faith"

I am on my way to Basco, Batanes for a mission trip. It's at the northern tip of the Philippines. It will be my first time to go there and they say that the flight schedules can change a lot depending on the weather. My original schedule was to depart at 6am and now I'm flying at 8am.

How is our faith? Is it like Batanes weather, so easy to change? In Filipino colloquial dialect we say, "Wheather weather lang." It implies that our faith depends on the circumstance. It depends "whether" we are in a difficult situation or not. Peter, the Rock, also encountered this situation. During Jesus' arrest and height of accusations, the crowd recognized him and said ""You are not one of his disciples, are you?" He (Peter) denied it and said, "I am not(John 18:25)."" And yet, Peter, in his humility and admittance of sin was restored back to Christ and even become the Lord's vicar.

Let us ask for forgiveness if our faith is a "weather weather faith." Let us restore our faith in Christ and honor His faith in us. Then, like Peter, we ask the Lord to strengthen our faith like a rock, immovable and constant.
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Life is Not a Treadmill

One of the basic equipment in the gym is the ever reliable treadmill. It helps us warm-up and have a good cardio exercise. The obvious difference of a treadmill compared to a normal outdoor jogging experience, is that you don't get anywhere no matter how fast you run.

Life is not meant to be a treadmill. Life is meant to be a marathon race, with a finish line and a reward in the end. And that 'reward' is heaven. What the devil wants us to do is to work as hard as we can, achieve as much as we can, for our own selfish motives and worldly ambitions. "Do not love the world or the things of the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, sensual lust, enticement for the eyes, and a pretentious life, is not from the Father but is from the world." 1 John 3: 15-16. It may seem at first that our worldly desires are getting us somewhere, but at the end of it, we realize that we are stuck with the world. 


A treadmill is secure in the sense that you will not encounter the other risk factors of outdoor jogging or a marathon such as the possibility of rain, bumps on the road, and generally being exposed publicly. But in this sense of security, we will not experience the essence of God's mission for our lives.

So go out there, explore life, take risks for our Lord!  Put your life in His hands. Faith after all is risking for the Lord. We walk by faith and not by sight (2 Colossians 5:7). But faith is the kind of risk that is sure of the reward of heaven.  The rewards of the world is nothing compared with the rewards of heaven. Let us therefore not waste our time in indulging in worldly pursuits, but focus on doing things that help us in our pursuit of heaven. Let us get off from the treadmill that the world offers and embrace the exciting race that the Lord invites us to run.

I have competed well; I have finished the race; I have kept the faith.  From now on the crown of righteousness awaits me, which the Lord, the just judge, will award to me on that day, and not only to me, but to all who have longed for his appearance. (2 Timothy 4: 7-8)