Spirit Moments | From minutes to moments . . . .

Amazing Grace, Once More

Posted on March 3, 2014 by Spirit Moments

The more I think about grace, the more I realize how amazing grace is. Nature decrees that what goes up must come down. Grace declares that what comes down will be raised up and glorified. Nature decrees that what goes around comes around. With grace, everything is gift, unmerited and given unconditionally. Even if we have done nothing; it comes to us, like life, love and yes, grace and blessings.

The world is often driven by wealth, power and fame. I only need to look at the news to realize this. The business news is always about the creation and the amassing of wealth and more wealth. What is happening in Ukraine right now is all about who gets to keep the political power in that region. The Oscars, which millions watched and tweeted about last night, is all about the glitter and the glamor that comes with fame.

Wealth, power and fame can be very addicting. Once somebody has had a healthy helping to these, one is likely to become enslaved by them. I know two businessmen who started and put up a company together. They both said they would stop after they have made their first million. They in fact made millions. One has stopped and is now looking after his grandchildren. The other is still running after his billions. What is happening in Ukraine is not just a struggle of a people against a corrupt leader. It has now escalated into a power struggle between countries supporting the opposing sides. The Oscars had some pathetic moments last night when aging stars couldn’t have enough of fame and are still questing for it even though they are now but sorry shadows of their once glamorous selves.

Indeed, wealth, power and fame can bring us to dizzying heights from where it is very difficult to come down. Eventually, at the law of nature decrees, what comes up must come down. Wealth comes down to penury. Power comes down to helplessness. And fame comes down to ignominy.

Grace, on the other hand, lives on – in the love and care and service of those who receive it. For grace is the presence of God among us.

Jesus looked around and said to his disciples,
“How hard it is for those who have wealth to enter the Kingdom of God!”
The disciples were amazed at his words. So Jesus again said to them in reply,
“Children, how hard it is to enter the Kingdom of God!
It is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle
than for one who is rich to enter the Kingdom of God.”
They were exceedingly astonished and said among themselves, “Then who can be saved?”
Jesus looked at them and said, “For men it is impossible, but not for God.
All things are possible for God.”
Mark 10:23-27

Posted in Faith, Life, Mystery, Nature, Presence | Tagged Blessings, Grace | Comments Off

Life, Lilies and Birds

Posted on March 2, 2014 by Spirit Moments

The serenity of the sunset can never be improved upon.
The distant hills are quiet witnesses to the melting of the sun.
There is nothing I can do now to change that day just done.
Just like the beauty of the sunset of a day that has just gone.

The trees and their branches are still bare and barren now.
Gently and quietly, they watch the sunset’s colors glow,
Catching the sun’s dying light from which their life does flow.
Getting ready for the spring that is surely to follow.

This beauty and serenity, this flow and the unfolding
They happen and take place without man’s bidding
For some unseen person somewhere there is hiding
To make all these things possible with His presence abiding.

Like the birds that neither toil nor sow nor reap
In His loving arms, He shelters us and keep.
Or like the lilies of the field that never have to weep
He protects us all from the time we wake up until we sleep.

Life is easy and full of joy when blessings come.
But there are times, it is difficult and troublesome.
There is nothing in life that is purely accidental or just random;
For we achieve the fullness of life when we seek God’s kingdom.

“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life,
what you will eat or drink,
or about your body, what you will wear.
Is not life more than food and the body more than clothing?

Look at the birds in the sky;
they do not sow or reap,
they gather nothing into barns,
yet your heavenly Father feeds them.

Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow;
they neither toil nor spin,
yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory
was not clothed like one of these.

But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness,
and all these things will be given you besides.
Do not worry about tomorrow; tomorrow will take care of itself.
Today’s trouble is enough for today.”
Matthew 6: 24-34

Posted in Life, Mystery, Nature, Photography | Tagged Blessings, Grace, Poetry | Comments Off

Of Children and Life as a Circle

Posted on March 1, 2014 by Spirit Moments

As I face the end of my days with trepidation and uncertainty, I am also experiencing deep joy and happiness being part of the early days of Jane and Jonathan. Anabelle and I had superabundant fun raising our three boys. But things were so busy then, everything went by like a blur. I just looked around and the boys were grown into men. Now, as the pace of life slows down for me and Anabelle, I can leisurely enjoy every moment I spend with Jane and Jonathan. I can truly reflect on and enjoy our time with them.

For good or for bad, but I hope for the better, we are leaving imprints in Jane and Jonathan that they will carry with them the rest of their lives. I can see my playfulness playing out in Jane and my mood swings now taking hold in Jonathan. I can see the fashion sense of Anabelle blooming in Jane and her study discipline taking roots in Jonathan. They have a taste for some Filipino foods and they are picking up smatterings of Filipino words to add to their vocabulary. They are developing feelings and emotions that are distinctively Filipino like sungit, buwisit, gigil, gagad, galak, baliw. They enjoy chichuyan and kilitian. Jane knows what kuya means and Jonathan takes his being a kuya pretty seriously. They have learned along with their prayers how to make mano, a Filipino gesture and sign of respect for elders.

At the same time, we are learning a lot from them, lessons which hopefully are not too late for the learning. They greet each morning as another blessing, full of promises like the sunlight that heralds the new day. They live each moment to the fullest, filling every minute with things they love to do. Sometimes, they get bored but not for long as they are able to move on to others things they love to do. They fight and they bicker but again not for long for the love and care they have for each other are deeper and stronger than any fight or bickering they might have. They trust and believe us on our word and the worst thing we can do to them is not to keep our word. Yet, they harbor no resentments for long. Life is too exciting to be bogged down in resentments and disappointments.

Come to think of it, we are already living our heaven on earth taking care of Jane and Jonathan – for such is the Kingdom of God! Life is like a circle. It is coming full circle for me.

People were bringing children to Jesus that he might touch them,
but the disciples rebuked them.
When Jesus saw this he became indignant and said to them,
“Let the children come to me; do not prevent them,
for the Kingdom of God belongs to such as these.
Amen, I say to you, whoever does not accept
the Kingdom of God like a child will not enter it.”
Then he embraced the children and blessed them,
placing his hands on them.
Mark 10:13-16

Posted in Character, Family, Life, Love, Philippines/Filipino | Tagged Blessings, Discipline, Jane, Jonathan, Learning | Comments Off

Learning from My Emptiness

Posted on February 28, 2014 by Spirit Moments

What can I learn when I am in a state of neediness and desolation?

Nature abhors a vacuum. Whenever there is a vacuum, nature tends to fill it with just about anything to remove the emptiness. Often, I try to fill in that emptiness with vacuous busy-ness. Sometimes in panic, I would fill in that emptiness with feelings of anger, regrets, selfishness and self-pity.

Grace, on the other hand, welcomes a vacuum. Grace allows that emptiness to be filled with the divine and the sacred. In that emptiness, I make space and time for God to come into my life. For amidst the hustle and bustle of daily living, I forget to feel and fail to see the presence of God in my here and now.

One of the scandals of our times today is the continuing poverty and neediness among billions of people, even if we now have the resources and the means to vanish poverty forever. There is material emptiness in many lives. But poverty by choice can sometimes be a grace-filled moment. It can be a liberating experience. By emptying myself of things I do not really need, I free these for others to use. I can do away with the latest gadgets, a flashy car and fancy clothes. I love the adage: “Live simply so that others may simply live,”

“Lord, teach me your ways so that I may live simply and humbly and encounter your presence in that sacred emptiness.”

Jesus came into the district of Judea and across the Jordan.
Again crowds gathered around him and, as was his custom,
he again taught them.
Mark 10:1-2

Posted in Discipleship, Presence | Tagged Blessings, Choice, Healing | Comments Off

I have great admiration for people who can give generously and do so very spontaneously with expecting any rewards nor counting the cost. I hate myself most when I hold back in being a giving and generous person and first think what is in it for me. I would come up with all sorts of rationalizations for not giving and holding back, like “he does not deserve it”; “you are not helping her any”; “he is so ungrateful”; “she will only abuse your generosity”.

I can sometimes imagine myself being generous even to the point of giving up my life for another in one glorious moment in an extreme situation, like if someone were dying or in danger. It is the daily demands and practice of generosity that truly test whether my generosity is genuine. Can I give and be generous even when I am hurting? Can I give to another even when I harbor ill feelings against that person? In the daily grind of life, can I be generous without counting the cost or asking for a reward?

It is a hard lesson to learn but generosity is good for the spirit. When I give to others, it is like getting rid of all the rusty accretions in my soul in order to make myself clean again. When I give away my time, talent and treasure, it is like peeling away unwanted layers in my personality so that the real me can emerge. When I give to others, I affirm the value and the inherent goodness that here in them. In the process, goodness triumphs over evil – in small ways maybe but which in time will change me and change the world.

“Dearest Lord, teach me to be generous,
teach me to serve you as I should,
to give and not to count the cost,
to fight and not to heed the wounds,
to toil and not to seek for rest,
to labor and ask not for reward,
save that of knowing that I do your most holy will.”

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Anyone who gives you a cup of water to drink
because you belong to Christ,
amen, I say to you, will surely not lose his reward.”
Mark 9:41

Posted on February 27, 2014 by Spirit Moments | 1 Comment

Sadness

Posted on February 26, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Just because someone does not love me that the way I want to be loved does not mean that somebody does not love me.
Often in my self-preoccupation and hunger for affirmation, I would dictate the way I should be loved.
And more often than not, I also end up disappointed for I have taken away the other’s freedom of expression.

Not everyone who disagrees with me is my enemy or my protagonist.
I do not know everything and there is always another side to any story aside from mine.
Often in my self-centeredness, I mistakenly believe that there is only one truth and that is my truth.

The opposite is true: not everyone who always agrees with me or does what I want is my friend or is truly on my side.
I have seen enough of life to know that people are capable of fabricating and dissembling appearances.
In fact, these are the people more to be feared.

In the end, where do I put my trust?
Whom will I truly believe in?
Into whose hands will I put my heart and be assured it will not be broken?

John said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we saw someone driving out demons in your name,
and we tried to prevent him because he does not follow us.”
Jesus replied, “Do not prevent him.
There is no one who performs a mighty deed in my name
who can at the same time speak ill of me.
For whoever is not against us is for us.”
Mark 9:38-40

Posted in Life, Relationships | Tagged Sadness | Comments Off

The 1986 EDSA People Power Revolution

Posted on February 25, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Today is the anniversary of the EDSA People Power Revolution of 1986 in the Philippines. The event later on spawned the collapse of many Eastern Bloc communist countries through peaceful and massive display of people power, most notable of which was the tearing down of the Berlin Wall. Today, we see the same People Power phenomenon happening in Ukraine, Venezuela and Thailand.

The EDSA People Power was a time when grace trumped karma and natural human laws. Natural law says it is the survival of the strongest and the fittest. They will always lord it over the weak and the vulnerable. At EDSA, the weak and the powerless held sway. For the four days we were in EDSA, throngs of humble and simple folks kept vigil and stood up to the forces of might and oppression. The Spirit of God was abroad in the land and His presence was palpable among the people and in the unfolding of the events. He literally brought down the mighty from their thrones, exalted the humble,filled the hungry with good things and the rich and powerful He sent away empty.

The world is often driven by competition, comparison and control. It is a zero-sum game, played with a win-lose mentality. This approach to life has been shown time and again to be a recipe for disaster. And yet it remains to be a dominant thinking among many. Yet, we are not lacking in examples and experiences that show the opposite to be a more meaningful path. This is the path of Christ, the path of grace.

The natural law is about competition and the survival of the fittest. Grace is about love and generosity, even to the point of giving up one’s life for the sake of others. Christ eschewed comparisons. He said the first shall be last and it anyone wishes to be first he shall be last and the servant of all. In the end, we are not in control. God is. And it is in humble submission to is will that we come upon the fullness of life.

“Lord, teach me yours ways and show me the path of grace.”

Then he sat down, called the Twelve, and said to them,
“If anyone wishes to be first,
he shall be the last of all and the servant of all.”
Taking a child, he placed it in their midst,
and putting his arms around it, he said to them,
“Whoever receives one child such as this in my name, receives me;
and whoever receives me,
receives not me but the One who sent me.”
Mark 9:33-37

Posted in Encounter, Faith, Life, Philippines/Filipino | Tagged Blessings, Grace, Miracles, Serendipity | Comments Off

God’s Mysterious Presence in My Life

Posted on February 24, 2014 by Spirit Moments

My faith is not a faith that can move mountains nor can it drive away evil spirits. Often, I am faced with mountains of obstacles and problems. I will them to go away but they wont. There are times I have to struggle for days when I am possessed by all kinds of evil spirits: greed, selfishness, anger and rancor, bitterness and depression, lust and gluttony for earthly pleasures. And it takes a whole while before they are gone. I struggle to keep my faith strong. And, it is my faith that keeps me strong in my struggles.

Sometimes, I engage in some sort of a Pascal’s Wager in reverse. Agnosticism and not believing seem to be a better choice than faith and believing. If I die and there is no afterlife, I will not be disappointed. I wouldn’t even know in the first place since the light of my consciousness just simply goes out. If I die and there is a God and He is everything I have been taught that He is, then He would still welcome me into His loving embrace.

These thoughts come and go. I cling to my faith even as I struggle with my doubts. I seek out silence and solitude so that I may truly encounter Him whom my heart longs for. In my heart, I know my Savior lives. And like the father of the son possessed by demons, I pray constantly, “I do believe, help my unbelief.” In my doubts and struggles, in the silence and solitude of my prayers, that is where I encounter the saving presence of my God. Rising up from my prayer, I will see God’s hand at work even in the most ordinary and mundane events in my life, in every person I encounter and in every moment that I am alive.

Jesus said to him, “‘If you can!’ Everything is possible to one who has faith.”
Then the boy’s father cried out, “I do believe, help my unbelief!”
Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering,
rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it,
“Mute and deaf spirit, I command you:
come out of him and never enter him again!”
Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out.
When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private,
“Why could we not drive the spirit out?”
He said to them, “This kind can only come out through prayer.”
Mark 9:14-29

Posted in Discipleship, Faith, Mystery, Presence | Tagged Grace, Hope, Prayer | Comments Off

Amazing Grace and Karmic Nature

Posted on February 23, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Everything happens for a reason. That is the law of nature.
You reap what you sow. That is law of karma.
This beautifully landscape scene did not happen by chance.
It was designed, engineered and created by human reason and creativity.

Yet, the most beautiful sceneries I have seen were simply there.
A field exploding with wild flowers on a mountainside just happens to be there.
The sun sets at day’s end but does it have to put on such a marvelous display of colors?
Gigantic trees reach for the skies to get sunlight, but why with such grandeur and beauty?

The most beautiful moments in my life just simply happened and unfolded before me.
Ima and Tatang got married and they had me. Why me?
I walked into Xavier School to teach and whom do I meet? Anabelle, the girl in my dreams.
The miracle of EDSA People Power overthrows a tyrant by millions just being there.

The heart has its reasons that reason itself does not know nor understand.
In my heart of hearts, I have learned lessons which I know to be true.
In my imagination I can dream of possibilities which reason would deem impossible.
In my gut, I spontaneously know what is true, good and beautiful in my life.

This is the law of Grace and it trumps the law of nature and the law of karma.
Karma is tooth for a tooth, eye for an eye. Grace is forgiveness and compassion.
Reason says to love those who love you. Grace says to love those who hate you.
Nature decrees that life ends with death. Grace proclaims life everlasting

Jesus said to his disciples:
“You have heard that it was said,
An eye for an eye and a tooth for a tooth.
But I say to you, offer no resistance to one who is evil.
. . . .
“You have heard that it was said,
You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.
But I say to you, love your enemies
and pray for those who persecute you,
. . . .
For if you love those who love you, what recompense will you have?
Do not the tax collectors do the same?
And if you greet your brothers only,
what is unusual about that?
Matthew 5:38-48

Posted in Life, Love, Mystery, Nature, Photography | Tagged Grace, Poetry, Serendipity | Comments Off

Good Pope Francis

Posted on February 22, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Today is the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. Appropriately, it is also the start of the Consistory where the new 19 Cardinals will be officially made cardinals. The rites will be done with the traditional pomp and splendor. But it is also clear that a new and fresh wind is blowing across the Catholic Church.

Most of the new Cardinals have been chosen not from the traditional centers of power and prestige in the Catholic Church but from the fringes and peripheries. In this deliberate choice, Pope Francis is putting an end to careerism among the clergy and pushing forward a genuine ministry of love and service. He has eschewed the trappings of luxury and wealth of his office and chosen to lead a simple and humble lifestyle. He has focused not so much on keeping people in the Church but on reaching out to everyone – Muslims, Jews, other Christians – to come together in genuine love and brotherhood. And those who are already in the Church, he challenged to go out into the fringes and peripheries of society to seek out and serve the poor.

He has fed us in the one year he has been in office with very inspiring words, waking us from our collective stupor and leading us into a new light and a deeper and stronger understanding of our faith. But beyond words, he has led mostly by example. His practice of calling up people who have written him have truly endeared him to many. He embraces everyone in love and service, even those very repugnant to look at. He does all of this with a palpable joy that is reflected in his trademark smile, which has become iconic of the true joy promised to the followers of Christ.

I pray for Pope Francis and entrust him to God’s loving care. Honestly, I do not know what to ask the Lord to grant the Pope. I can pray that he be given strength and courage given the enormity of the challenges he is facing. But he has shown himself to be already a man of courage and strength by the many radical reforms that he has initiated. I can pray that the Lord grant him wisdom to teach and guide the billions looking up to him for guidance. But he has already inspired millions through his inspiring words in his homilies and papal pronouncements. People today literally hang on to his words for life and inspiration. I can pray that he be blessed with simplicity and humility in the exercise of his leadership and authority as Jesus did. But no one has exemplified authentic servant leadership more than he has. I can just pray for God’s graces and blessings be poured abundantly on him. But no one give what one does not have; so he must have these already in great amounts for he dispense them like he had these in infinite quantity. I will just pray that I can be one with him in his love and dedication to the Lord.

“Lord, bless Pope Francis and he brings your love and blessings to us your people.”

He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”
Simon Peter said in reply,
“You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.”
Jesus said to him in reply, “Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah.
For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my heavenly Father.
And so I say to you, you are Peter,
and upon this rock I will build my Church,
and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.
I will give you the keys to the Kingdom of heaven.
Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven;
and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”
Matthew 16:13-19

Posted in Discipleship, Faith | Tagged Blessings, Prayer | Comments Off