Sent on Mission

Jesus appointed seventy-two other disciples whom he sent ahead of him in pairs to every town and place he intended to visit. (Lk 10:1)

In two days I'll be heading to Bangkok to take part in the CFC Singles for Christ Global Leaders Summit, after which, our team will be sent to Myanmar to do mission for a week. Some mission teams will be sent to Vietnam, Cambodia, and Laos.

The Gospel is very affirming. Christ sends us. This is a very important element of mission. Being sent is an honor for Christ's servants. The dangers are real and the cost is not small. But why go on mission? I could think of three.

1. Because Christ commands it.
Go, therefore and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19)." " As the Father sent me, so I send you (John 20:21)." As Christians, part of our identity is to be missionary. We obey the Lord, out of love, loyalty, and sacrifice.

2. Because the harvest is ready.
He said to them, "The harvest is abundant but the laborers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out laborers for his harvest (Luke 10:2). Out there, people are just waiting for the good news to be proclaimed. This is God's work, it His field, He knows where to send us. We need only say yes and He will put His Spirit in us.

3. Because life is meant to be a great adventure!
In mission you will experience things you won't expect. You will be surprised how mightily God will use you. Live life to the fullest! Our abilities will be maximized, our heart for others will be expanded, our spirituality will be brought to greater dependence on God through intimate prayer. Mission will help us see beyond ourselves and lead us to a clearer purpose for our lives.

As Steve Green would put it, "To love the Lord our God is the heartbeat of our mission." We are sent because God loves us and we go because we love the Lord. Let us pray for missionaries worldwide that they may continue to be faithful and endure hardships that come their way. Let us pray that we too may find the strength to say yes to God.

Reflection on Discernment

I went to a Jesuit recollection yesterday.  The reco focused about Discernment. What struck me was it emphasized that if we are to discern, we do it in a period of tranquility.  Tranquility is defined as a disposition free from stress or emotion.  We do not decide at the height of our emotions, like coming from a spiritual high of a retreat or being in a state of depression.  When things normalize or in tranquility, we are able to make a sound judgement in weighing our options, using our all of human faculties (our mind, heart, experiences, situations, advice from others, our practical considerations).  This is yet a tentative discernment, because the final test of discernment is Discernment of Spirits. This is when God allows us to feel peace if our chosen option is His will. This is now beyond our faculties, but more of God speaking to us through our spirit. There will be times when the people around us are disappointed, yet we feel inner peace.  We are also affirmed because we are happy in that choice, although the world may not be agreeable.

Let us continue to discern for God's will. Let His peace reign in our hearts!

JP2: Church is Mission!

We visited the exhibit of the Relics of Blessed Pope John Paul II.  It was in Gateway Mall.  Many people were there, mostly surprised and delighted that there was a display about the holy objects.  But what was also fascinating were the different quotes from Homilies that he gave in different places. One of many particularly caught my attention.  The one he gave on June 6, 2004 in Switzerland.  He exhorts...

Dear friends, the Church is mission! Today she also needs "prophets" who can reawaken in the communities faith in the revealing Word of God, who is rich in mercy. The time has come for preparing young generation of apostles who are not afraid to proclaim the Gospel. It is essential for every baptized person to pass from a faith of habit to a mature faith that is expressed in clear, convinced and courageous personal choices."

1. The Church is Mission!  In my reflection we need to be going out and to boldly regain territories that have been dominated by evil. Like media, politics, and business.  Ironically at the other end of the mall was an autograph signing by a popular men's magazine that feature nudity.  We are being desensitized by the enemy into accepting evil practices as a social norm, until it becomes the law of the land as in the case of many anti-life bills.  We, the church, are called to be missionaries for we are sent to witness God's love to others and stand up for Him.  We are meant to go out and make disciples. But JP2 also reminds us that the Church itself is also a mission area.  We also need Church Renewal so we can be a strong force to battle evil in our society and the world.  One of the ways to actualize this is to be part of a prayer group, a Christian community, be active in Church service, wherein we can be formed and be sent to live out our mission.

2. We need "prophets" who can reawaken faith.  Many of us Christians are 'non-practicing.' We go through the rituals of our religion but forget to practice our faith.  There is a need to reveal the Word of God to others through the lives we live.  How can we reawaken the faith in others? By making the faith awake and alive in our own words and specially our deeds.

3. Preparing young generations of apostles. Much of my formation and conversion was when I joined CFC Youth for Christ in 1995.  There I realized that together with other young people, it is possible to live out my faith in an environment where Christ is upheld and our talents were used to serve Him. I experienced my first mission when I went to Lilo-an, Cebu to start YFC there together with others my age. Since then, mission has been a great part of my life. Now that I am in Couples for Christ, I will never forget how the community has molded me in my youth and helped me in my most trying times.  We are to capture the youth, so when they become the decision makers of society, they will carry in them the experience of Christ and apply it in their profession.

4. Clear, Convinced, and Courageous personal choices.  This is the challenge to many of us who have a "lukewarm" approach to our Christianity.  Many of us do not wish to make a stand. But the truth is that if we do not make a stand, we have already made a stand to sit on the fence and accept the crisis that is before us.  Are we really for Jesus?  Then let us take a look at our business dealings if they are for Christ.  If you are a student, take a look if you are honest and hardworking in your studies. To be clear is not to mar our lifestyle with compromises. To be convinced is to root our decisions to God's word. To be courageous to finally take action for the sake of Christ.

The Church is Mission.  Let us ponder on that. We need to strengthen those who are within the church. We need only look around us, our family, our neighbors, our city.  Let us be inspired by Blessed John Paul II's words. Let us do mission, also from within, so we can be strong, revitalized, and on fire for God's will.

Mission-Ready!

I just came from a meeting with people whose hearts are on fire for the work of global mission! I couldn't help but be set ablaze in love for God. The Holy Spirit dwells in the praise of God's people and pours upon those who truly seek and desire His gifts for empowerment.

These are the qualities I noticed of Mission-Ready people:

1. A great desire to do God's will.
Setting up the mission is not easy. Along comes many challenges, but the desire for mission always lets us see beyond a seemingly hopeless situation. To be on mission is the command Jesus gave in His great commission. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Mt 28:19).

2. The humility that God will use them powerfully. 
Mission-Ready people know that victory is the Lord's and that God just needs their yes for Him to work His marvelous deeds. We feel unnecessary pressure if we are too reliant on our abilities or backgrounds. Genuine confidence comes from the realization that we are merely God's instruments to do His holy will.

3. Infects others to do mission.
One thing about mission-ready people is that they are very contagious. People can't help but be drawn to be part of the mission they are passionately talking about. When we form teams for mission, many of those who come are influenced by the team leader.


4. Willingness to Sacrifice.
They set aside personal resources to make the mission possible. They also use up their limited leave of absences to do mission. There will be discomforts in mission and a lack of rest. But it is the sacrifice that makes our offering pleasing to God.

Being Mission Ready sets us up to receive God's providence. How can we receive His blessings if we are not ready as a vessel to be filled? Readiness is very impotant since God opens up divine opportunities or kairos, and we have to seize the moment or we will lose the chance to be used fully by the Lord and experience His awesome power.

Let us be like Abraham when God called Him, he immediately responded, "Ready!" (Gen 22:1)

One with Christ in a "Multi" World

The new generation has the orientation of being multi-functional, multi-optional, and multi-informational.

We now live in a digitized world with a multi-functional mindset.  With the arrival of the "apps" technology, almost anything is imaginable with our gadgets. We have not yet seen the full potential of these devices. 20 years ago, the only gadget that people carried is the watch, which tells two things (dual function), the time and date.  Now with our cellphones and tablets, you will be overwhelmed with what it can offer.  You can even strum a guitar chord with it or find your way through a GPS mapping system.  We are not anymore content, and we want more things to discover, to download, to play with, to use at work and more.  We become function addicts.

On being multi-optional, we see that the world now offers so many things. We are overwhelmed with the choices that we have to make in a day.  Even just buying coffee seems complicated. Just go to a grocery store and see the variety of soap or shampoo that you have to choose from.  Even buying medicine, we have to take time in choosing.  With cable TV, we endlessly surf channels and sometimes we don't really get to finish one program. There are just so many options.  This can be good in a sense that we can pick the best quality from among a bunch or it can be bad since it delays us in decision making or even worse, leads us not to decide at all because of being confused which is the better one.

With Google and all the other search engines online, we are now in a multi-informational world.  Just type your question in the search box and Viola! You now have the answer.  Do you need to know something about your classmates in high school? Just go to facebook and see how many kids they have and their last vacation pics and etc. Try opening your email and you'll receive lots of "info emails" about products and other junk.  The challenge is to manage information and not anymore to seek it.

So, how do we become evangelistic in a "Multi" world?  How can we introduce Christ, with all the other options and information that are being bombarded upon us daily?  Three truths come to mind:

1. Christ saves. There is only one Savior in the entire universe.  With our multi-functional orientation, only Christ has the function to save our souls.  This is what stands out and puts the other life "apps" to shame.

2. Christ is the best choice.  We have to disabuse our minds from the worldly things that distract us from choosing Christ.  Yes, career, family, friends are important, but Christ is the first choice we should make.  In a multi-optional environment, we have to be single-minded for the Lord.

2. Chirst is the Answer. In a multi-informational era, with all the questions in man's mind, only Christ brings the truth, the answer to everything.  "I am the way the truth and the life... (John 14:6)"

These truths puts our "multi" world into order and in priority. We need just to show others that Christ stands out and He is not to here to sell us something but to offer us eternal life with Him in heaven.  The song, "One Way" by Hillsong strikes a great relevance to our confusing environment. "One way, Jesus, You're the only one that I could live for."