The Beloved is Sacred

Posted on January 12, 2014 by Spirit Moments

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Imagine a garden. Quiet and  serene.
Peaceful and a bloom with greens.
Silent yet full of life
In the leaves, among the branches.
Deep in the earth, under the stones.
In the air and afloat in the wind.
A fountain gushes forth with water
Springing forth to nourish that life.
Something sacred is happening.

I imagine the first garden.
Planted in the East.
Made for a special couple.
Everything they need is here.
There is beauty, peace and wholeness.
Man and woman, He made them. Special. Beloved.
A sacred river runs through it. Holiness.
Something sacred is happening here.

Another place, another time.
Along a river. In the waters.
A man proclaiming the Good News.
Love, Forgiveness. Peace. Wholeness
Baptized in the waters.
A voice saying “This is my beloved.”
Son.
Something sacred is happening here.

My here and now.
Appreciating life and love.
Wanting forgiveness and peace.
Seeking wholeness.
Longing for affirmation.
Straining to hear a voice that will say
“This is my beloved.”
Something sacred must be happening here.

After Jesus was baptized,
he came up from the water and behold,
the heavens were opened for him,
and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove
and coming upon him.
And a voice came from the heavens, saying,
“This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”
Matthew 3:13-17

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Perspectives

Posted on January 11, 2014 by Spirit Moments

When I do good, there is always the temptation to believe that the good I have done is because of me and me alone. When people praise and applaud the good things I have done, there is always the danger that I keep the accolades all just for myself. In the end, I could end up preening in pride and vainglory. That is the ultimate vanity.

John the Baptist was a great prophet. He led a very simple ascetic life. He had many followers. He spoke the truth even when this meant his head. But he also knew that there was one greater than he who was coming after him. He was just preparing the way for Him. And he had no problems with that. “He must increase; I must decrease.” he declared to everyone.

When I do good, I must always remember that all goodness has but one source and it is not me. When I receive praise or appreciation for the good that I do, I must pass this on to the one true source of all goodness in gratitude and humility. When I receive goodness from others, I will thank them and the Spirit who inspired them to do good for me.

In the overall scheme of things, let my perspective and my prayer be: “Lord, that I may decrease and that You may increase.” And as I say this short prayer, may I make it a reality in my life: that in doing less for myself, I might do more for others; that in loving myself less, I might have more love for others; and that in thinking less of myself, I might think more of others.

John answered and said,
“No one can receive anything except what has been given from heaven.
You yourselves can testify that I said that I am not the Christ,
but that I was sent before him.
The one who has the bride is the bridegroom;
the best man, who stands and listens for him,
rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice.
So this joy of mine has been made complete.
He must increase; I must decrease.”
John 3:25-30

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When one is having fun, one is likely to forget a lot of things, and even people. I was having a lot of fun some weeks ago and some of the things I forgot to do were my regular exercise and daily prayers. And it wasn’t too long for me to realize that there are consequences for such forgetfulness: my number we up – BP, blood sugar, cholesterol; my energy levels were low – stamina, alertness, attention span.

Even at height, and maybe specially so, of his fame and popularity, Jesus still found time to withdraw to deserted places to pray. In fact, when He was happy He prayed more. But He also prayed when He was in deep trouble as in the garden and on the cross. When he was about to perform works of wonders (aka miracles), He prayed. When he was alone, He prayed. When he was with friends and loved ones, he prayed. In everything He did and for every time He did something, He told His Father – in prayer. His whole life was one constant conversation with the Father.

That is something I would like my life to be. Pray and pray without ceasing.

It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was;
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
And the leprosy left him immediately.
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but
“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing
what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The report about him spread all the more,
and great crowds assembled to listen to him
and to be cured of their ailments,
but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
Luke 5:12-16

Posted on January 10, 2014 by Spirit Moments | Comments Off on Pray Without Ceasing

My Mission

Posted on January 9, 2014 by Spirit Moments

The Gospel Christ came to proclaim is pretty simple and very straightforward: life is stronger than death; light is stronger than the darkness; love is stronger than hate and anger.

Life is not easy. It is full of challenges, constantly changing. It is punctuated by pain and suffering. I can choose to be broken by vicissitudes of life or I can turn these into opportunities for growth and a fuller life. My pains and sufferings may sometimes be so extreme that I would rue the day I was born. And yet looking back, every difficulty I have overcome has made me a better and stronger person. The tears I have shed have been worth the joy and happiness that came later.

Light is easy to see. Yet there is so much darkness in our world today. It is so dark people fail to see the goodness in others. I choose to see the kindness and generosity of people who have come forward to help others in misery. I choose to see the dedication and care of those who have committed themselves to teaching even when they could be earning bigger salaries elsewhere. I choose to see the service and and compassion of those who have taken up a life of healing in the face of so much sickness and pain in their environment. I thank those with sensitive souls for showing us the light in the human spirit even as we are beset by all sorts of storms of darkness.

Love is not easy in the world today and it looks like a poor choice in the face of the strong preference among many people for greed and selfishness. Where everyone seems to looking out for Number One, I choose to think of others before I think of myself. I will prefer to give rather than to receive. I will serve rather than be served. And I will change myself for the better rather than try to change others or the world into my image and likeness.

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit,
and news of him spread throughout the whole region.
He taught in their synagogues and was praised by all.
He came to Nazareth, where he had grown up,
and went according to his custom
into the synagogue on the sabbath day.
He stood up to read and was handed a scroll of the prophet Isaiah.
He unrolled the scroll and found the passage where it was written:
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me,
because he has anointed me
to bring glad tidings to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives
and recovery of sight to the blind,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord.
Luke 4:14-22

 

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Prayer and the Storms in My Life

Posted on January 8, 2014 by Spirit Moments

The Gospels are replete with stories of Jesus going off into the mountains or to some secluded places in order to pray. They are also full of stories of him working miracles and dong works of wonder. Did His power come from the fact that prayer was a regular part of His daily life?

The last two weeks of December were a whirlwind of activities and excitement for me and my family. Between two weddings and the flurry of Christmas celebrations, the days were as crazy and as hectic as could be. Towards the end of the year, I could feel my blood pressure shooting up and my body literally wasting away. My daily prayer time was easily lost in all the hustle and bustle going on around me.

Now, that I have been able to return to my normal routine, I can feel my body recuperating, being renewed and becoming whole and hale again. I worry about storms and strong winds in my life. Like, the apostles in the boat that night, I am afraid of them. I am also afraid of pain and suffering. I take great solace and consolation in hearing the words of the Lord: “Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!” It is only when I slow down, keep still and pray that I can hear His words.

And when he had taken leave of them,
he went off to the mountain to pray.
When it was evening,
the boat was far out on the sea and he was alone on shore.
Then he saw that they were tossed about while rowing,
for the wind was against them.
About the fourth watch of the night,
he came toward them walking on the sea.
He meant to pass by them.
But when they saw him walking on the sea,
they thought it was a ghost and cried out.
They had all seen him and were terrified.
But at once he spoke with them,
“Take courage, it is I, do not be afraid!”
He got into the boat with them and the wind died down.
Mark 6:45-52

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Compassion

Posted on January 7, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Often, I rationalize myself into selfishness. Faced with the enormity of the problem of poverty, I would opt out from helping in any way I can and rationalize away my failure to help by saying what good would the little I could do to solve the problem of poverty. There are times I refuse to dig into my pocket to give small change to street beggars or some homeless folks rationalizing that I would only be encouraging their dependency by doing so. Sometimes, I would take time in extending a helping hand to allow others to go ahead and the need would not be there anymore when I decide to finally help out.

I realize that the need is really in me. The need for me to feel pity and compassion for those who have less or even nothing in life. The need to convert the feeling of pity and compassion into some efficacious and effective action. The need to go out of myself and reach out to others. What good is helping those who can help themselves? What good is helping those who do not need help?

There is so much pain and suffering in the world today, there is always the danger of being desensitized to the pain and suffering of others. I myself often suffer and I wallow and self-pity and totally forget to feel for others. There are so many disasters and catastrophes that people have begun to suffer compassion fatigue.

As long as my heart beats, I must not and will not lose my capacity for compassion. I will share my joys where there is pain and sorrow. I will share what I have wherever there is need and want. I will give my presence whenever there is absence of any kind. I will give with open hands specially when selfishness or greed or anger or hate would have me clench my hand in a fist.

When Jesus saw the vast crowd, his heart was moved with pity for them,
for they were like sheep without a shepherd;
and he began to teach them many things.
By now it was already late and his disciples approached him and said,
“This is a deserted place and it is already very late.
Dismiss them so that they can go
to the surrounding farms and villages
and buy themselves something to eat.”
He said to them in reply,
“Give them some food yourselves.”
Mark 6:34-44

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Affirmations

Posted on January 6, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Recent events and experiences have shown me how people are so hungry and long so deeply for affirmation. I have long been a glutton for affirmation myself that I have failed to see this need manifested in others. I have been seeking so much affirmation for myself that I have failed to see how others are also so hungry for affirmation. And if I try hard enough I can easily give the affirmation others need – with sincerity and in generosity.

As part of my New Year resolutions, I shall be more affirming of people around me. I shall affirm the goodness, the beauty and the truth in the lives of others, even when my selfishness would rather that I withhold such affirmation. I shall call a good act whenever I see one, specially one that is done out of love and generosity. I shall glory in the beauty I see around me, specially when done and created not out of any pecuniary gain but merely to show the beauty by which we have all be made. I shall extol moments of truth and condemn all falsities as we have been created to live by the Word, which is Truth itself.

I shall choose to praise God and people I encounter for the all good that is in them, without diminishing or glossing over the evil that there is also in the world. In so doing, I shall help in the good triumphing over evil. I shall choose to see the beauty there is around me and in people instead of dwelling on the ugly and sordid things happening in the world. In so doing, I shall help ensure that beauty gets the exposure and appreciation it truly deserves. I shall speak the truth even when it is difficult and dangerous to do so. In so doing, I shall help in proclaiming the reality that God has inserted Himself in our ordinary lives to transform them into something most extraordinary and something most awesome to believe.

Yes, I shall proclaim the Gospel of Goodness, Beauty and Truth. An affirmation may just be a simple, single word but it can change everything.

He went around all of Galilee,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Gospel of the Kingdom,
and curing every disease and illness among the people.
His fame spread to all of Syria,
and they brought to him all who were sick with various diseases
and racked with pain,
those who were possessed, lunatics, and paralytics,
and he cured them.
And great crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, and Judea,
and from beyond the Jordan followed him.
Matthew 4: 12-17, 23-25

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The Gifts of the Magi

Posted on January 5, 2014 by Spirit Moments

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Breakthrough! That is what happens when God reveals Himself to us, when we discover God in our lives. God’s boundless and infinite love and being is like light breaking through the dark clouds, piercing through and driving away the darkness. When God breaks through into our lives, we are changed forever, for the better. Everything we do and everything we are becomes tinged with light, love and laughter. Everything around us and everyone we meet seems to tingle with a divine presence. Even in pain and suffering, we are able to keep our heads up high, straining to see the source of that infinite light and love. Death is no longer something to be afraid of but rather serves as the portal to eternal life, where all our here-and-nows finally become one eternal moment.

The gifts of the Magi are signs of this eternity breaking through into our lives. Gold had always been the currency of everything that man holds dear and precious. Even today, during financially precarious times, gold is the hedge people go to as protection against all uncertainties. Yet, we know that man’s longings are limitless and our desires endless. There is always the hankering for more. We offer our physical gold for the eternal gold that only God can give to slake our unquenchable thirst and to satisfy our undying hunger.

Frankincense has been offered since time immemorial by men as their feeble attempt to go up and link up to their Source and Creator. It signifies our longing to connect with the Unreachable and the Unknowable. The smoke of incense rising up gives physical form to our prayers to God, with whom we long to connect. We know deep in our hearts that God permeates the whole universe and that everything and every place in it is sacred, where we can encounter the Divine.

Myrrh has always been associated with suffering, with death, with the end. Even in the things we fear most, God is there doing His thing. Pain and suffering are sure signs that we are alive and becoming the persons we are destined to be. Death is not the end but the portal to a new life where we level up into eternity.

When God reveals Himself to me and breakthrough into my life, he blesses all my desires and longings, takes them up to Himself and make them sacred and transform my life into an eternity of being with Him. Feeble and few though they may be, I open my gifts and offer Him my gold, frankincense and myrrh and do Him homage.

After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
Matthew 2:1-12

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Success and Fruitfulness

Posted on January 4, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Success is the mantra and the ambition of many in this world. Success is often associated with being able to make things happen. It is defined by power, fortune and fame. A successful person is he who can move others to do his biding, who can change the course of events by his vision and strength. Christ did not come preaching the gospel of success.

Instead, he came teaching us about fruitfulness. Many of the things we deeply long for comes not from our strength and power but from our weakness and vulnerability. The weakness of a baby and the vulnerability of the elderly teach us the value and preciousness of life like no other lesson in power or strength can. The intimacy we yearn for comes about only when we touch each others wounds and become a healing to one another. The community where we find comfort and consolation happens only when we share our brokenness and pains and in the process grow strong together.

When Jesus turned and saw them following, he said to them, ‘What are you looking for?’ They said to him, ‘Rabbi’ (which translated means Teacher), ‘where are you staying?’ He said to them, ‘Come and see.’ They came and saw where he was staying, and they remained with him that day. It was about four o’clock in the afternoon. One of the two who heard John speak and followed him was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
John 1:35-40

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Realtionships Are All That Matter

Posted on January 3, 2014 by Spirit Moments

Man was never meant to be alone. He was created to exist in relationships. It is for this reason that a man leaves mother and father to marry his woman and start new relationships as lovers of one another and of their children. Men seek friendships and find great joy in the relationships with their friends. The ultimate fear and punishment for men is to be cut off from such human relationships. Sin is the destruction of relationships. Grace is the restoration, growth and flowering of such relationships.

I exist in a web of relationships – with nature, with people and with God. Nature is the environment that makes human life possible. She may sometimes be violent but has always been nurturing of humans. After all it was from the cataclysmic changes in nature that the primeval broth, from which live eventually emerged, was ‘cooked up’. I am an embodied consciousness with others in the world. I was born into the world through the love and care of Ima and Tatang. With the same love and care, I have brought others into this world. And along my journey I have been blessed by the presence of other loving and caring persons. I find the ultimate meaning of all these relationships in the God who created us all. I may not sense him the way I sense other things and beings in creation. But He has left enough signs and wonders in His creation for me to know, encounter and love Him.

Behold the Lamb of God who restores all of creation in perfect relationships with Him and with one another.

The next day he saw Jesus coming towards him and declared, ‘Here is the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, “After me comes a man who ranks ahead of me because he was before me.”
John 1:29-30

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