Staying "On-line" With God

  

I chanced upon this interesting "challenge" from McDonalds. The stickers on the tables say: "Challenge your friends to see who can keep off their phones the longest." Clearly technology has become an extension of ourselves in this day and age. We can say that we are very "attached" to our gadgets that we have grown a certain dependence on them. We always have to be "connected," "on-line," " get "notifications," "liked," "shared," "go viral,"and many of these new tech words that contribute to the new vocabulary of this generation.

Turning to our spirituality: How long have we been "off-line" from God? When are we getting back on-line with Him? Have we grown a dependence on God? How attached are we to God? May technology not become a form of idolatry replaces God! 

Let us use some these new social media tech-words for our reflection today. What are we to do grow and make permanent our attachment and dependence on God?

1. Stay Connected with God: Pray! He was the first ever to have a "wireless on-line connection" to mankind -- and its free and unlimited!

2. Don't just "like" God -- love Him!

3. Set your "notifications" to remind yourself to avail of the Sacraments and attend your prayer group.

4. "Share" God's love and let it "go viral."

Let us deepen our reflection from hearing what Pope Francis has to share: "It is not enough to be passersby on the digital highways, simply “connected”; connections need to grow into true encounters."  As we stay on-line, may we enrich our relationship with God and neighbor -- by being a "good Samaritan" and not just "passersby" to those who are in need of spiritual and emotional support.  May we use the increasing connectivity of this era of social communication to even proclaim the Good News of our salvation in Christ.

  

A Constant Dialogue

If we choose, and so desire, using our freedom -- our lives can be a constant dialogue with the Father, through Jesus Christ, in the Holy Spirit. St. Therese of Lisieux said, "I will spend my heaven doing good on earth". What could have led her to these words, if not for the realization of a communion with the Trinity, through a grace-filled life which allows man to "partake in the life of God" (cf. CCC 1997)?

Step Back

Once in a while, let's step back. Step back: to appreciate beauty; to realize our purpose; and to sense God's will. For it is in stepping back that we can relentlessly move forward with conviction and certitude.

Appreciate beauty, for it enriches the soul. There are just too many things that we take for granted.  Behold... beauty is before us! Take a second look at creation, our loved ones, the Gospels -- our own lives!  The beauty of God's handiwork and His wisdom is more than enough to fill us---and---to knock sense into us that life is a gift that we need to fully open and appreciate more.

Realize your purpose! Sometimes busyness, ironically, can be a comfort zone.  For as long as we are doing something urgent, we run with it -- 'til we become cranky and overly stressed. When one does something difficult, but with a purpose, it's passion.  When one is stressed (even in menial matters), it is often a symptom of a misplaced purpose. Realizing our purpose is knowing that what we do contributes to a bigger goal -- towards a dream that is worth all the hardships and "shipwrecks", as in St. Paul's missionary experience.

Sense God's will in prayer.  Amidst a hurried and noisy world, contemplation is becoming less in practice. The voice we hear is often our own, and we as human beings, are not fully reliable; for sin mars sound judgement and only in God can we find peace and direction for our lives. Without prayer, we are lost! What can matter more than doing God's will?  He, Whose only intent is to give what is best for us. 

In stepping back, we can face the future with more confidence -- emboldened by gratefulness, mission, and divine guidance. Therefore one should not discount the value of a rest day, a recollection, a retreat, or a lengthened time of prayer; for these can be the very "pit stops" that will equip us to zoom towards our true and eternal destination with our Father in heaven.  

"In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer
to God." (Luke 6:12)

1. What has been stressing you lately?
2. When do you plan to "step back" for a while? Schedule your personal recollection or retreat.

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.
 

Remember Your Destination

Being on a 13-hour trip to the northen tip of the Philippines, Cagayan Valley, it allowed me some time for myself. Travel situates thinking time and more so, a super extended personal prayer time. This is I believe is one of the great blessings of mission. As we journey to our destination, we are led to also journey internally, to the depths of our minds and hearts.

Life is one big journey. Often, many are swayed by the evil one to forget that heaven is our final destination. Everyday, in this journey of life we are to take time for ourselves and be in God's presence. We are to search from within and continually ask Jesus, "Lord am I still on track?" If we feel the peace that we are still on a ride towards heaven, then praise God! But if we are detoured, side tracked, or have made a u-turn to the opposite direction (hell bound), then prayer and God's mercy will open our eyes to heaven's road signs.

By God's grace, we shall reach heaven. May we fix our eyes on Him!
 

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

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

A World of Relationships

We live in a world of relationships.  It’s amazing that if you actually have a network of about a thousand friends on facebook, you are loosely connected to 800,000 friends of your friends. Imagine if all your friends reposted your status, then it would have potentially reached 800,000 to a million.

There is great power in the network, and I’m not only talking about the social networking sites, but relationships in general.  It’s so important to nurture our relationships.  If we sacrifice a relationship because of pride and unforgiveness, we are not only giving up one person, but also potentially the friends of this person.

Somehow we are all connected. What you do makes a ripple to the rest of the world in different degrees.

How are we taking care of our relationships?

How are we using our network to do great things for God and country?
Are we easy to sacrifice friendships? Do we bother to mend our broken relationships?

With the argument above, I conclude therefore that no one is insignificant.  We were created to matter.  What matters to you may matter to millions out there.

What is surprising is that many of us sacrifice the most important relationship: our relationship with God.  God who created us and loves us immensely, is someone whose relationship we should continue to build and nurture. Prayer is our way of communicating to Him. He is the ultimate relationship and believe me, he has the greatest network in the universe.  He is a friend we shouldn’t “unfriend.”  He can inspire others to come to our aid as an answered prayer or even tell the sea to calm down if we are afraid (like Peter and the apostles in the boat) and even stop sun from setting (Joshua).

In a world of relationships, we are to connect to each other and work towards building God’s kingdom.  Let us have a humble, understanding, and forgiving nature, so we can overcome relationship hurdles and build stronger ties.  May God bless the people we meet along our journey towards heaven.

"Re-treat"

The word retreat is often referred to a weekend stay in a reflective venue, usually a retreat house or maybe a countryside. Retreat also implies to get back to ourselves, and draw strength from the Lord once again.

I'd also like to see it from the point of view from the word "treat." When someone treats us, we are pampered by not having to pay anything for special attention. People would usually say, "Don't worry, it's my treat."

Now, i'm in Batanes and I'm experiencing a "re-treat." The Lord is giving me a treat...again. When we come to him in generous prayer, he lavishes us with His grace and awesome presence. This is a treat that is inexplainable, beyond measure, and priceless.

Amidst the busy life of unending deliverables, let us not forget that the Lord wants to treat us again and again. We need only offer a generous time of prayer and wait upon His grace to rain upon our souls.
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What to Ask from God

At mass today, the priest said, "Ask from God what only He can provide."

There are many things in life that cannot be bought and cannot be earned. A house we can buy, but peace in the house only God can provide. Excellent school grades or a job promotion we can earn, but fulfillment and contentment only God can provide.  We can raise our children the best we can, but only God can truly make them holy.

Let us review our supplications to the Lord.  Let us ask for the everlasting. May His graces be upon us.  

Forever Grateful

We have one life to live
Oh Lord teach us to give
Your graces we receive
For in You we believe

Our prayers we lift on high
Oh Lord do hear our cry
Oh God You are all Love
Provider from up Above

To our hearts You speak
Give us the peace we seek
We long to see Your face
To be with You all our days

May we not forget
From birth 'til our death
All the goodness You showed
And The blessings bestowed

You are our Creator
Our God and our Father
We are forever grateful
May we always be faithful

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.


 

In Condition to Face Life's Storms

After a long time, i played basketball again. I was pumped up, very excited to shoot those hoops again. In the first 10 minutes, I was 0 out of 5. I made several attempts, but my shots were either too strong or too weak. There are a number of reasons (excuses) why I did poorly. I was unfamiliar with court , it had been months since I last threw a shot, my legs were out of condition, and I was trying to catch my breath among other things.
This reminds me of something about facing our problems. Often, we pray intensively when we encounter life's problems. There can be two scenarios; a) one who faces a problem but has always prayed faithfully b) another is one who faces a problem but only prays at the time of the challenge.
Just as storms are a part of the natural course of the environment, so are the storms that naturally come in our lives. When our problems arrive, we have to be:
1. Familiar with God's voice
2. Conditioned with prayer
3. Filled with the breath of the Holy Spirit
This is experienced by those who have been already praying prior to the "storm." That is why when problems come they are calm and even at peace. I know of someone who found out that he had cancer symptoms and had to be operated on. He confessed that he was surprised that despite the shocking news, he was not afraid and he felt peace knowing that many of his friends will be praying for him. He exhibited a certain strength only manifested by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a similar case when Jesus was sleeping during the storm. "Suddenly a violent storm came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep. They came and woke him, saying, "Lord, save us! We are perishing!"He said to them, "Why are you terrified, O you of little faith?" Then he got up, rebuked the winds and the sea, and there was great calm (Matthew 8: 24-26)."
Let us start to condition ourselves in the Lord through consistent prayer. Let us not wait for problems to bring us down on our knees. So when it's 'game time' we can make the important shots and not make excuses of doing poorly in handling our problems. Surely God will help all those who call upon His Name even if we have only remembered him during the crisis. But by being faithful and ready, we can overcome problems with His strength and even be an instrument to help others in their storms.

In Tune With God

I was asked to play the guitar for worship this morning.  I overlooked in testing if the strings were in tune and just went right into playing. I later noticed that the 2nd string was off key. It was impossible to adjust the strings in the middle of the song. In short, the songs went on while bearing with one string that was out of tune.

Just like in our Christian living.  We can go on following Christ, but many of us still have a part of our lives that is not attuned with the Lord.  We may go on serving Him while we have issues with purity or other sins that we find hard to surrender.  The result is a service that fails to reach its true potential. We can still do the usual things we do for the Lord, but the impact of a service derived from a life fully "in tune" with God is a far cry from a service born out of a compromised or "off key" Christian lifestyle.

The product of an off-key Christian lifestyle are:
Energy leak.  Our strength is being drained by this part of our lives that refuses to yield to God.  And when we are empty, we tend to "borrow strength" from hyping up or psyching up ourselves for the work ahead or a talk or sharing you have to give.  In the end we are tired, and will even seek strength in other vice-based "unwinding."
Loss of passion. We will tend to focus on our unworthiness more instead of a God who will love us and raise us up.
Eventual backsliding. When we feel drained, empty, and unworthy, the next is to withdraw.  The devil eventually wants us to get out of our commitment to Christ and will feed us "logical" excuses like, "Without my service, I can have more time for my family" or "The money I spend in the community can be better put in another investment."

 So, it starts with a compromised Christian living and ends up in Eventual Backsliding. So how do we combat this?  I have three suggestions:

1. Tune in to God daily. One day without prayer is enough for the devil to feed us with scheming thoughts. If we tune-in to God through faithful prayer, we will be strengthened and nourished.
2. Decide to Yield. Surrender to God that aspect of your life that compromises your Christianity. It is by the strength of the Spirit that we are to overcome.
3. Be accountable to somebody you trust. Have someone that will not hesitate to correct you and tune you back in harmony with the Lord.  People who refuse correction are most prone to compromise.  Humility will put our lives back in tune with God.

It takes time to tune a guitar and it is dependent on the sound of other strings to get that off-key string back in harmony. If you are a guitar player, you will only strum your guitar strings with gusto and passion when you know that each string is in tune.  Let us serve the Lord with maximum impact by living a life fully attuned to God. 

For the eyes of the LORD range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him (2 Chronicles 16:9).

Every Saint Has a Past and Every Sinner has a Future

We were invited to watch an advanced screening of the movie, "There Be Dragons." It is a film that reflected on the life of St. Josemaria Escriva, founder of Opus Dei.  The setting was during the Spanish Civil War in 1936, where facists and communists were against each other. Caught up in between was the Church of which priests were killed and churches were burned.  The movie also highlighted the life of his friend, Manolo, who lived a sinful life, but finding redemption in the end. One of it's main messages was a quote from Oscar Wilde, "Every saint has a past and every sinner has a future."

There is a saint in all of us.  I don't think the saints asked, "Lord please make me a saint."  I think that for them it was a day to day decision of following Christ and obeying him until death.  Many of our Saints were also great sinners.  We have St. Paul who ordered the execution of St. Stephen. We have St. Matthew, who was a tax collector.  St. Augustine prior to his conversion joined a heretical sect called Manicheans.  Yet, the Lord, by His grace called them and they responded to God's call and were transformed by His love.  There are over 10,000 named saints and beati from history, the Roman Martyology and Orthodox sources, but no definitive "head count" (catholic.org). Let us praise God for Saints who help us in the following:

1. Intercessory Prayers
We pray with the saints in heaven. We ask them to intercede for us. In the same way, we pray for others also who requests us for prayers.  We have heard of numerous accounts of miracles wherein prayers were answered through a Saint's intercession.  I visited the the Oratory of St. Joseph in Montreal where I saw literally hundreds of crutches left by those who miraculously prayed through the intercession of St. Joseph.

2. Patrons as examples and guide
We have heard about patron saints. Patron saints are chosen as special protectors or guardians over areas of life. These areas can include occupations, illnesses, churches, countries, causes -- anything that is important to us. The earliest records show that people and churches were named after apostles and martyrs as early as the fourth century (catholic.org). Our patron saints help us in our growth as Christians as we reflect on their examples.  We relate to them. It makes us think that if he or she who is human like us can do it, so can we, by God's grace.  Their life inspires us and strengthens our convictions.

In the coming All Saints Day, let us honor the faithful who have walked this earth before us. Let us call upon the help of thousands of angels, saints, and martyrs who will pray for us to our Lord Jesus.  We need all the prayers we can get so we can truly live as Christ's follower in our daily lives. Sinners as we are, God looks upon our saintly potential.  St. Josemaria Escriva, pray for us.

Prayer is Indispensable

We had a whole day of brown out at the office. No light, no computers, and no ventilation. We were let go early. I realized how dependent we are on electricity and on technology to get things done.

What are the things we can't live without? What are indispensable to us?

For many of us, prayer is something of an option.  It may seem that we can do without it for the day. But as one famous Christian bumper sticker says "7 days without prayer makes one weak."  A day without prayer is also tantamount to saying, "Lord I don't need you today."

What is a day without prayer?  Most would say, "I am more impatient. I easily get angry." Some say, "I get to fall into the temptation of talking against other people behind their backs." And this is just one day. Without prayer, we become calloused with pride. Prayer makes us humble and realize our mistakes.  With prayer, we become sensitive to God's will, so we are led to the right track. I think life without prayer is a formula for disaster.

Christ Himself, being God, needed to pray. "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God (Luke 6:12)." Let us make prayer indispensable.

A Thousand Lives

September 28 is San Lorenzo's feast day. The first Filipino Saint. Before his death he said, "Isa akong Katoliko at buong pusong tinatanggap ang kamatayan para sa Panginoon, kung ako man ay may sanlibong buhay, lahat ng iyon ay iaalay ko sa Kanya." (English: I am a Catholic and wholeheartedly accept death for the Lord; if I have a thousand lives, all of them I will offer to Him.)

 Along with him in his martyrdom were about 50,000 other Christian Martyrs (source). Today, the subject of dying for one's faith is hardly talked about or even entertained in our minds. Here we see the saint's conviction. How is our conviction for our faith? How many times have we denied our faith in the face of simple peer pressure? 

Is Christ truly worth sacrificing our own lives? The answer is yes. It all boils down to knowing the truth about our lives.  Jesus told her, “I am the resurrection and the life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies, will live (John 11:25).  Martyrs understood this truth. Lorenzo Ruiz got it as well.

But we are also called to live for Christ. How do we live then?

1. Live with conviction.  The Apostle's Creed is our conviction.  The first line says, "I believe in God, the Father Almighty."  Believing in God makes us live our lives with meaning.  When we acknowledge God, we know that there is Someone bigger than us or Someone more important than anything we hold dear.  God is Someone we offer our lives to, even a thousand times over.

2. Live a life of prayer. Being in constant communication with God leads to become focused and directed to our mission.  It is easy to forego prayer, because no one checks on us if we pray or not. Prayer time is a test of our integrity.  One who prays acknowledges that he or she cannot do without God for the day.  Prayer makes our conviction strong and helps us to be emboldened to serve our Lord.

3. Live a life of service. The act of breathing is to, "Breathe in and breathe out."  Try breathing in continuously without breathing out and we find ourselves in need of release.  Service is about giving and it is necessary for a healthy life. Without service, we are sure to die of our own greed and depression.  Helping the poor will teach us things no other formation module can give us.  To share your life through service is a way to live life to the full.

May we live our lives with conviction, prayer, and service. May the martyrdom of San Lorenzo Ruiz inspire us to stand up for our faith and encourage us to give our all for Jesus. 

Invest In What Appreciates Over Time

A good friend told me, invest in something that appreciates in value in years to come. Gadgets are good, but they depreciate really fast. He advices, "Invest in things like watches and jewelry, they increase in value over time."

In our emotional, intellectual, and spiritual life, what are the things that increase in value over time?  Here are some that I can think of:

a. Relationships (emotional investment).  We have to put our time in relationships.  This we often take for granted.  During the ins and outs of the day, we schedule our work at every hour.  We also have to schedule our relationships.  Over time, relationships will help us to be strong. A simple hi through a personal message online will go a long way. A 2-hour visit to relatives over the weekend will keep the ties closer. A regular date time with your loved one will help build trust and nurture love through the years.

b. Reading time (intellectual investment).  Having time to read makes us sharp and attuned to ourselves, the world, and to the Lord specially when reading Scripture.  Just like muscles need to be flexed so it will gain strength, so does our minds.  Reading will help push our mental strength to its limit and breakthrough to a new level of thinking.  Over time, we would have gained a good stock of knowledge that will be helpful in all fields of our lives.

c. Regular prayer and Sacraments (spiritual investment).   We have to strengthen the spirit through time spent in prayers and  receiving of graces through the Sacraments. If we do not invest our time in prayer, our life will become meaningless and our emotional, intellectual, physical, and even financial lives will be highly affected.  For our spirit and body are one.  We are Spirited Bodies and Embodied Spirits (Theology of the Body, JPII).  To neglect the spirit, we will be like "walking dead."  A life spent in prayer and meditation will bring us to our core, and often we are reminded of the right path to take.  This leads us to better decision making.  Over time, we gain depth in insight and the grace of peace in the Lord.

Let us then be wise investors. 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 (Mt. 25:29).  The Lord has given us our friends and family, His wisdom through the Bible and other books about life, His gift of prayer.  Let us use these gifts, invest in them and present them to the Lord having twice as much as it was given us.

Praying for Healing

Recently, a number of those who are close to me have been admitted to the hospital.  I pray for their healing whether from at home, at work, or being with the person and being able to lay hands on him/her for a pray-over.  A good friend shared to me, "What doctors do is only the physical healing part. There is a need to be able to pray for the spiritual and emotional healing too.  Many of our physical ailments are triggered by our spiritual and emotional problems." 
We know that many of those who are depressed result to alcohol, excessive smoking, over-eating and even drugs.  Some skip their meals because of worry.  Our emotional problems are also rooted in our lack of spiritual nourishment.  If we don't pray, our sense hope is low and we easily give up or easily get angry and frustrated.
Therefore, having a healthy spiritual life can lead to good physical health.
As we pray over our sick, we also pray for the healing of their souls and their hearts.  We pray that they find peace and happiness in their situation.  Healing through repentance and forgiveness is something we long for those we pray for.
Lord, we call upon your mighty power to heal the sick, especially the people close to us. May you touch them  physically, emotionally, and spiritually. Amen. 

A Life in God's Order

Prayer puts our life in order.  Often we are too busy to pray, thinking that the urgent things that rush us in the morning are more important than taking time to quiet down with the Lord. Many times we are too tired to pray, thinking that our bodies need to hit the bed because of the strain of the day's activities rather than be filled by the Lord.
When we are lured to this mentality, we will even become more busy and even more tired.  We forget that prayer, through our Lord, puts it in the right perspective.  So the lesser we pray, the more our priorities get out of order. This makes us busy with the wrong priorities, thus having more work.

When neglecting to pray and meditate, we only use our physical strength and neglect to tap the immense power of our spiritual strength. Our physical and mental abilities can only bring us to certain limit. But the spiritual strength that God gifts us through the Holy Spirit, can make us achieve what is impossible.  Jesus, being both human and divine, knew the value of prayer. In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God (Luke 6:12)


The connection of ourselves to Christ, exposes the deceptions of the devil that leads us to sinfulness and pride.  The lower we bow down in prayer, the higher the Lord lifts us up in our lives. He redirects us away from the evil's schemes and brings us forth to His path. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness;and all these things shall be added unto you (Matthew 6:33).  If we are living according to the order that God wants for our lives, we shall truly experience the fullness of what God has in store for those who love Him.