Spirit Moments | From minutes to moments . . . .

The Centurion and His Slave

Posted on December 1, 2014 by Spirit Moments

A Centurion, his slave and Jesus. They were all part of the scene in the Holy Land during the First Century, specifically around the town of Capernaum in Galilee. The Centurion crosses social boundaries and shows care and concern for his servant, seeking for his healing for he was suffering dreadfully. Jesus breaks down the racial and religious divide and heals the slave of the Centurion.

Oh that this scene would be repeated again and again in the Holy Land of today and throughout the whole Middle East. I pray that God sends people who will break down the walls that divide people there. It is not only the Jews against the Muslims, it is also the Muslims against Christians and Muslims against fellow Muslims. The walls of apathy and enmity that have accreted over the centurions have to be taken down.

The message of Christ is catholic, that is open to all. Everybody is welcome here. It is tragic how Christ’s Gospel of love, compassion and forgiveness has been corrupted time and again through the centuries and been interpreted as excluding some, based on their social standing or cultural difference or racial origins. Pope Francis has been leading efforts to break down these walls and make the Church as truly a place where everyone is welcome.

We need the faith of the Centurion and the loving and caring response of Jesus to heal the dreadful suffering of many in our world today.

Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord.
~Psalm 122

When Jesus entered Capernaum,
a centurion approached him and appealed to him, saying,
“Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, suffering dreadfully.”
He said to him, “I will come and cure him.”
The centurion said in reply,
“Lord, I am not worthy to have you enter under my roof;
only say the word and my servant will be healed.”
. . . .
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed and said to those following him,
“Amen, I say to you, in no one in Israel have I found such faith.
I say to you, many will come from the east and the west,
and will recline with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob
at the banquet in the Kingdom of heaven.”
Matthew 8:5-11

Posted in Encounter, Human Rights, Relationships | Tagged Blessings, Change | Comments Off

Hopes and Expectations in Advent

Posted on November 30, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I recently came across these lines from the great Catholic writer Hilaire Belloc:

Kings live in palaces and pigs in sties
But youth in expectation. Youth is wise.

Yes, as a youth, I still remember the excitement that comes with expectations. Hope kept me wanting to leap from day to day. There were nights I would not sleep a wink in great anticipation of a big event the next day, like a fiesta we would be going to, or coming home from the seminary, or going on a field trip or excursion. As I grew up, hopes and expectations provided the motive force for many events in my life. I remember the many wonderful moments hoping, preparing and working for my graduations, my employments, my wedding, my children. In my career, I looked forward and hoped and exerted for and enjoyed the anticipation of a promotion, a new project and even some presentations. Hope gives color and vibrancy even to an otherwise ordinary experience.

Today, I can see the excitement in Jonathan and Jane as they helped their Mommy put up the christmas tree. I can sense all the hope and anticipation they have for the coming Christmas holiday. And it is not just the presents they will be getting they are excited about. There are the people they will see, the family gatherings they will enjoy, the Christmas parties at school and with friends they will have, the snow in Minnesota they will frolic in, the food they will share together with the games and the fun and the laughter.

What I was younger, I saw my hopes and anticipations growing ever bigger and bigger everyday. Today, there seems to be less and less to hope for. Back then, my world was ever growing wider because of the many people I kept on meeting and knowing. Today, my world is getting smaller and smaller as I get to meet and know less and less people. And many of those I already know are one by one leaving for good.

Still, it is hope and anticipation that gives color and vibrancy to my life. I still look forward to our weekly movie Mondate with Anabelle. I always look forward to go on a good hike, even in wintry weather. And vicariously, I share in the hopes and dreams of my sons, their families, specially the grandchildren. I love it that I do those things that I want and love to do; and not those things that I am required and obligated to do.

Of course, I think a lot about my final hope and expectation. How will the end come? What will it be like on the other side? Is there even an other side? How is it in any way possible since it seems so unlikely given what we know about the laws of nature? Will I get to see again all my loved ones who have gone before? But isn’t is exciting how the impossible is made possible by an Almighty and Loving God? If He can become man, He can make me share in His divinity. These musings often get me really stimulated and worked up. Deep inside, I know that the best is yet to come.

Lord, make us turn to you; let us see your face and we shall be saved.
~Psalm 80

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Be watchful! Be alert!
You do not know when the time will come.
It is like a man traveling abroad.
He leaves home and places his servants in charge,
each with his own work,
and orders the gatekeeper to be on the watch.
Watch, therefore;
you do not know when the Lord of the house is coming,
whether in the evening, or at midnight,
or at cockcrow, or in the morning.
May he not come suddenly and find you sleeping.
What I say to you, I say to all: ‘Watch!’”
Mark 13:33-37

Posted in Faith, Family, Mystery, Photography | Tagged Christmas, Coming home | Comments Off

The Beloved

Posted on November 29, 2014 by Spirit Moments

As the sun rises and sets, the seasons come and go.
While the moon waxes and wanes, the tides ebb and flow.
With the passing of the seasons, my life is opening like a door.
And as the tides drift and run, I am becoming ever more.

My life here on earth for me is a big mystery.
It is a bag of joys and laughter, bundled with misery.
I often wonder what power or who it is that put me here.
Gifting me with life, so precious and so dear.

Some say it’s all by chance that I exist upon this earth.
There is no other power responsible for my birth
But the random combination of atoms and particles
It is their incessant movement that gave me my sparkles.

There are others who say I am part of a grand design
And a great and mighty purpose I have been assigned
This almighty power desires nothing but my happiness
That is why with life he has me so richly blessed.

Now faced with life’s mixed bag of joys and misery
The randomness of it all will make my life so bitterly
But I can choose otherwise and believe with all honesty
That I am created by God who loves me tenderly

Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord.
~ Psalm 95

Jesus said to the disciples,
“Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down
with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life,
and that day catch you unexpectedly, like a trap.
For it will come upon all
who live on the face of the whole earth.
Be alert at all times,
praying that you may have the strength
to escape all these things that will take place,
and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:34-36

Posted in Faith, Life, Mystery | Tagged Poetry, Serendipity | Comments Off

Morning After Thanksgiving

Posted on November 28, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I love the unfolding of the seasons
It is like opening a bag filled with presents.
There is always so much to be thankful for,
Each day is blessings-full, heaven sent.

I asked Jane, my sweet little angel,
what she is most grateful for.
She said in all honesty, “I thank God for me.
I could not ask for more.”

Life indeed is the most precious gift,
The joys and the happiness of living.
Even if sadness may sometimes come,
Just to be alive is reason for thanksgiving.

It is a great thing to be alive and kicking.
But the joys in life is not only the receiving.
If we just look around us with a loving heart.
The true joys in life really comes from the giving.

Jane loves her toys and loves receiving more.
But it is her gift of life, she is truly thankful for.
And when it was time to say goodnight,
For Uncle Mickey and Julia, she gave gifts galore.

Jonathan sometimes live in a world of fantasy,
With his video games and favorite movies.
He watched them last night, snuggled close
Warming up an Uncle going through some difficulties.

There is a time for receiving, a time for giving.
Thank you for the gifts, thank you for the living.
Thank you for the hugs and kisses I receive.
May I be just as warm and caring when I give.

Here God lives among his people.
~Psalm 84

Jesus told his disciples a parable.
“Consider the fig tree and all the other trees.
When their buds burst open,
you see for yourselves and know that summer is now near;
in the same way, when you see these things happening,
know that the Kingdom of God is near.
Amen, I say to you, this generation will not pass away
until all these things have taken place.
Heaven and earth will pass away,
but my words will not pass away.”
Luke 21:29-33

Posted in Family, Relationships | Tagged Blessings, Gratitude, Poetry | Comments Off

Thanksgiving

Posted on November 27, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I thank God for my senses, which I do not do very often. With my eyes, I am able to take great delight in colors and see events unfolding. With my ears, I get enraptured by sounds and rhythms, both man-made and those in nature. With my smell I can go where the air is sweet and avoid where it stinks. With taste, I marvel at the different pleasures that my tongue can bring me. With touch, I can feel the earth beneath my feet, the cool wind upon my face and the warmth of of the breeze on my skin.

My senses not only bring me great pleasure, they also direct me where to go, what to do and how to move on. I often find my heart feeling like it is bursting with joy at the pleasure my sense bring. It is the same sense make me aware of sadness, sometimes so intense like my heart would burst. Same senses. Different experiences. The same feeling that my heart can’t seem to contain.

There are times of great happiness. I laugh and laugh and laugh so hard I soon find myself in tears. There are times of sadness: sometimes I understand; other times I don’t. Same tears. Different experiences. The same tears of both joy and sorrow.

Life is good. There is so much to be thankful for. There is so much joy, I wonder where it comes from. There ares imply so many wonderful people coming my way. I wonder what I have done to deserve all this. Life is hard. There is so much that could be better. I work hard to save myself and those I love from all the trial and tribulations of life. Sometimes, I cry out, “I do not deserve this.” Same life. Different circumstances. The same person going through it all.

I have been told and I believe that life is an unmerited gift from a loving God. In my becoming and my life’s unfolding, I have seen and felt His presence more times I can remember. Yet, I long to feel Him with my senses. I want to see His face, taste the warmth of His embrace, hear His voice talking to me, touch His hands that guide me, and smell the fragrance of His presence. He has no face I can see, nor a voice I can hear, nor a hand I can hold.

I have been told and I believe that God comes to me through the persons he sends to my life. I love my family for they have been to me the image of the God I cannot see. And I thank God for them. I love my friends for they have been the voice of the God I cannot hear. And I thank God for them. I love nature and the beauty around me for through them I get a whiff of the fragrance of the God I cannot smell. And thank God for the world where God has put me in.

I have my senses to feel the world and the people around me. The world and the people around me help me sense the power that put me here. I love this set-up. Thank You, whoever You are and wherever You are.

I will praise your name for ever, Lord.
~Psalm 145

As Jesus continued his journey to Jerusalem,
he traveled through Samaria and Galilee.
As he was entering a village, ten persons with leprosy met him.
They stood at a distance from him and raised their voices, saying,
“Jesus, Master! Have pity on us!”
And when he saw them, he said,
“Go show yourselves to the priests.”
As they were going they were cleansed.
And one of them, realizing he had been healed,
returned, glorifying God in a loud voice;
and he fell at the feet of Jesus and thanked him.
He was a Samaritan.
Jesus said in reply,
“Ten were cleansed, were they not?
Where are the other nine?
Has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks to God?”
Then he said to him, “Stand up and go;
your faith has saved you.”
Luke 17:11-19

Posted in Faith, Life, Nature, Photography, Relationships | Tagged Gratitude, Prayer | Comments Off

Witnessing

Posted on November 26, 2014 by Spirit Moments

In my youth, I loved reading the lives of Christian martyrs, often imagining myself to be among their ranks. Today, I am not so sure if I would have the courage to face such a fate. I read about all the Christians being beheaded and massacred by ISIS in the Middle East and all the romantic notions of dying a martyr’s death fizzle out like morning dew before the heat of the rising sun.

Early on, Christians started out as a persecuted lot. And much of Christian history has been written with the blood of martyrs. To our eternal shame, Christians had also been responsible for the death of martyrs from other faiths and even from our own. But the hallmark of Christians through the ages have been their willingness to stand up and give witness and testimony to the truth and good news they proclaim.

There is “wet martyrdom” (when a person sheds blood or is executed for the faith) and there is “dry martyrdom” (when a person suffers every indignity and cruelty but does not shed blood nor suffer execution for his faith). Offered to God, our daily struggles can count as a form of dry martyrdom. This often entails as much courage and strength as wet martyrdom. To stand by one’s principles. To do good when nobody else would. To speak the truth even when it hurts. To move on even when one is engulfed in darkness and depression. Often, the dying is easy and it’s the living that’s hard.

My life has been good. This is not to say that it has been easy. I think I have had enough of life’s tribulations to make for a dry martyrdom. But it is not my martyrdom I take delight in. It is seeing how my sons have stood up for what they believe is right, how they have stood up with and for people dear to them, how they would rather be sad and alone than go against what they hold precious. Like, standing up to the whole class in high school rather than join in a conspiracy of a lie. Or, living with daily heartaches rather than give up on a love commitment. Or, slaving it out at a thankless job 24/7 because somebody has to care for the sick and the dying. God has been good.

Great and wonderful are all your works, O Lord, mighty God!
~Psalm 98

Jesus said to the crowd:
“They will seize and persecute you,
they will hand you over to the synagogues and to prisons,
and they will have you led before kings and governors because of my name.
It will lead to your giving testimony.
Remember, you are not to prepare your defense beforehand,
for I myself shall give you a wisdom in speaking
that all your adversaries will be powerless to resist or refute.
You will even be handed over by parents, brothers, relatives, and friends,
and they will put some of you to death.
You will be hated by all because of my name,
but not a hair on your head will be destroyed.
By your perseverance you will secure your lives.”
Luke 21:12-19

Posted in Discipleship, Faith, Family | Tagged Service, Suffering | Comments Off

The End-time

Posted on November 25, 2014 by Spirit Moments

One of my favorite songs goes:
“They say that all good things must end someday.
Autumn leaves must fall.”

The end will eventually come.
This causes anxiety in many people.
Specially with the turmoil going on around us.
Ferguson has just exploded again.
Wars, insurrections, earthquakes, famine, plagues.
These are the signs of the end-time.
But it is not yet.
The earth is not yet about to end.
The earth has gone through more cataclysmic upheavals
in her four and a half billion years.
And she has a few more billions to live.

The turmoil and the upheavals are within me.
My time will soon come to an end.
My pace has slowed down a lot from my hectic years.
But the turmoil inside has gotten more intense.
Knowing my remaining time is less than what I have lived,
I feel like raging against the dying of the light.
What more can I do?
What more can I give?
Is there one more gift I can offer?
Is there one more present I am longing for?
The end should be easy and relaxed.
But I find myself still searching, still hoping.

I seek permanence from a life lived in impermanence.
I still seek and ask for perfection in an imperfect world.
I long for love that has seen me through most of my days.
I know these things will stay with me
Even as I end my days on earth.

The Lord comes to judge the earth.
~Psalm 96

Then they asked him,
“Teacher, when will this happen?
And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?”
He answered, “See that you not be deceived,
for many will come in my name, saying,
‘I am he,’ and ‘The time has come.’
Do not follow them!
When you hear of wars and insurrections,
do not be terrified; for such things must happen first,
but it will not immediately be the end.”
Then he said to them,
“Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom.
There will be powerful earthquakes, famines, and plagues from place to place;
and awesome sights and mighty signs will come from the sky.”
Luke 21:7-11

Posted in Encounter, Faith, Life, Love | Tagged Eternity, Poetry | Comments Off

Authentic Generosity

Posted on November 24, 2014 by Spirit Moments

I sometimes pray for more blessings in my life so that I can be more generous and more giving. That is offering out of my plenitude and abundance. I do feel a bit selfish when I am worried that I do not have enough for myself. The true test of generosity is being able to give even when there is nothing to give.

The world lionizes the rich who give substantial amounts to charity. There are billionaires who have pledged most of their billions to philanthropy. There are also billionaires who give a mere pittance of their fortune to charity. Often, the most generous souls are those who can least afford to give. But even out of the little they have, they always manage to give something because generosity lives int heir hearts.

I pray for a generosity of spirit, a spirit willing to walk an extra mile with anyone who needs presence and company, a spirit that will inspire me to give even my cloak should someone ask for a shirt, to give without counting the cost, to share with out expecting anything in return, to do good anonymously with my right hand not knowing what my left hand is giving away.

Lord, this is the people that longs to see your face.
~Psalm 24

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people
putting their offerings into the treasury
and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.
He said, “I tell you truly,
this poor widow put in more than all the rest;
for those others have all made offerings from their surplus wealth,
but she, from her poverty, has offered her whole livelihood.”
Luke 21:1-4

Posted in Character, Discipleship | Tagged Prayer | 3 Comments

Beyond Space and Time

Posted on November 23, 2014 by Spirit Moments

As I woke up this morning, I looked at the clock on the wall. Seeing it was still kinda early, I thought to stay in bed a little longer. As I drifted between wakefulness and sleepiness, I found myself recalling the day before. It was along day. I spent most of it at the Faith Formation Conference being inspired and moved by the speakers and fellow attendees, then enjoying the evening celebrating Mila’s birthday, with a quick dash home in between to catch a glimpse and spend some time with Jonathan and Jane. I also thought of the new day: what Anabelle and I would be doing today, the things we will be doing, the places we will go to, the people we will be seeing. Then, I finally woke up and got up. I looked at the clock again and I realized I stayed in bed longer by no more than two minutes. And yet, in that short expanse, I lived through two full days and went to my usual haunts and places with some special places to boot. I thought that in those two short minutes, I was beyond space and time.

I love taking photos of sunsets and sunrises. At a certain point, I find it difficult to tell one from the other, unless I recall when and where I took the photo. The sun breaking out into the colors at the start of the day often looks the same as the sun catching back the colors from the day as the night creeps in. And yet in between those two moments are the many things unfolding and happening. This photo can be the sunrise. It is actually a sunset. But its sheer beauty and eloquence defies the limits of space and time.

Sometimes, I think space and time are mere human mental constructs to help us define and understand where we are at and the what it takes to get from one point to another of that ‘where’. They do not really exist. Yet, we need to see space and time as the milieu for our unfolding and becoming. But even as we unfold and become in space and time, I have strong intimations of an existence that is beyond space and time. Like that moment this morning between wakefulness and sleep. Or like standing before a glorious sunrise or a magnificent sunset. Or holding the hand of a loved one to feel her presence. Or going out of myself to serve and care for another. Or being lost in wondering contemplation of what goes on around me.

In my life journey, I know I am called to greater things and to become more and better than what I am today. It is often difficult to imagine life beyond space and time. But I have been promised an existence beyond space and time where life is full, where there will be no more hungry to people to feed, or thirsty mouths to quench, or naked people to clothe. Where there will be no more sickness nor death, no more limits to imprison us. This will be the fulness of life in the eternal now.

But while I am still in this world bound by time and space, in this period unfolding and becoming; I will do my share in feeding the hungry, giving drink to the thirsty, clothing those caught in the cold and the rains of life, welcoming the stranger and the homeless, bringing comfort and company to those who are in prison or who are sick or who seem to get more than their fair share of life’s tribulations.

Only goodness and kindness follow me all the days of my life;
and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD for years to come.
~Psalm 23

Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Son of Man comes in his glory,
and all the angels with him,
he will sit upon his glorious throne,
and all the nations will be assembled before him.
And he will separate them one from another,
as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.
He will place the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.
Then the king will say to those on his right,
‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father.
Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
For I was hungry and you gave me food,
I was thirsty and you gave me drink,
a stranger and you welcomed me,
naked and you clothed me,
ill and you cared for me,
in prison and you visited me.’
Matthew 25:31-36

Posted in Faith, Mystery, Photography, Presence, Relationships | Tagged Beauty, Eternity | Comments Off

A God of Surprises

Posted on November 22, 2014 by Spirit Moments

My God is an awesome God. He is also very counter-intuitive and always full of surprises. He likes to make the first last and the last first. He challenges His people to seek perfection by embracing the cross. And there is more. He makes the dead come alive again.

I have always had a soft spot in my heart for the poor, the oppressed, the disabled, the dispossessed, those in the fringes and in the peripheries. I have always strived to have a preferential option for the poor. I have always looked at them as occasions for me to be more loving, more giving and more generous. I have tried to share whatever I have with them. And whatever I know and have learned about the good news to them, I try to proclaim to them.

Now, my counter-intuitive God is challenging me to turn this paradigm upside down. In humility, I acknowledge that it is the poor and the underprivileged who often proclaim the good news to me in very real terms. They teach me joy even in the midst of their want and deprivation. They teach me authentic trust and dependence on God’s graces and not on any human interventions. They teach me how to hope even in the face of grinding poverty and endless corruption.

The little I do as service to the poor, the oppressed and suffering is small compared to the service that they do for me in return. Through their pain and suffering, they do me a service by helping keep my heart a heart of flesh and not a heart of stone. Through the little they have in life, I am able to have a little bit more for myself. Isn’t it but fair that I give back with them from whatever I have? When they bear their burdens, doesn’t that relieve some of mine? When I come forward to serve them, they have already taken several steps to serve me.

Yes, my God is an awesome God. He teaches me such counter-intuitive lessons in the most unexpected ways from the most surprising sources.

Blessed be the Lord, my Rock!
~Psalm 144

Jesus said to them,
“The children of this age marry and remarry;
but those who are deemed worthy to attain to the coming age
and to the resurrection of the dead neither marry nor are given in marriage.
They can no longer die, for they are like angels;
and they are the children of God because they are the ones who will rise.
That the dead will rise even Moses made known in the passage about the bush,
when he called ‘Lord’ the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob;
and he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for to him all are alive.”
Luke 20:34-38

Posted in Discipleship, Encounter, Generosity, Mystery, The Good News | Tagged Serendipity, Suffering | Comments Off