At the Lowest Point

We were able to visit Jericho (yes, the one Joshua conquered). As seen in the picture, it is claimed to be the lowest place on earth at 1300 feet below sea level. It's also the oldest city.  North west of the west side bank of Jericho is also where the Mount of Temptation is located.  It is where Jesus was tempted by the devil during His 40 days and 40 nights fast.

In life we go through low places or low points.  Some points in the past we consider our lowest or maybe at present we feel our lowest.

What can we learn from going through our low points?

1. Our life's low-points are tests of our faithfulness.  I can imagine how vulnerable Jesus was while fasting for so many days. He may have been at his lowest physical and mental state. He fasted for forty days and forty nights, and afterwards he was hungry (Mt.4:2)  And so the devil comes into the picture to test Him.  Just like us, at our lowest, the enemy comes and tries to deceive us. The devil offers us the deception that life apart from God is way better because of the convenience it offers.  We must remember that it is when we get to our lowest point that we must be most faithful. 

Behind us is the Mount of Temptation

2. When at our lowest, there's no other way but to go up.  When we've hit rock bottom, then we can only bounce back. We can never underestimate the Lord's mercy. If we accept His offer of love through our repentance, then our relationship with Him is restored.  I believe that there is no true success apart from Christ.  On our way up, Christ carries us along with His angels.

3. Christ restores us higher than our previous high-point.  Because of our "low-point" experience, we learn valuable lessons of faith and life. We come back with more wisdom, confidence, and strength.  It is like a line graph that dipped, but bounced back to even a higher point than the previous performance.  What is different now is that we rely on God's strength more than our own.  This is supernatural strength by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Life is a series of high and lows. Our faithfulness is constantly tested and even at times we wander away from God.  Let not our pride blind us from the love and mercy of God.  He alone restores us back to a life of fullness. Let prayer, humility, and hope be our way back to God and our way up towards our life's high points.


 

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.

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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