Moments, Not Money

Posted on October 17, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Then he said to the crowd,
“Take care to guard against all greed,
for though one may be rich,
one’s life does not consist of possessions.”
~ Luke 12:15

People usually put their trust in what is tangible and visible. For to see is to believe. They put value in what they see. And they derive pleasure in what they can touch. But what is often overlooked is that what is intangible and invisible is more precious and valuable.

In today’s business, intellectual capital is now more coveted and more valuable than physical assets and financial capital. A popular advice these days is to spend money on experiences, not possessions. Possessions are tangible and many people love to collect them. But they fade, are destroyed or become obsolete. Experiences are intangible but they stay with the person forever and can always be recalled from memory at any time.

In my life, my happiness has always defined not by what I possess but by the richness of my relationships. The value of my relationships is also determined by the time I have wasted on them. I think of all the wonderful relationships in the world and they are all intangible, invisible and with tons of time wasted on them. The touching scene of a mother and child moment is created through the many sleepless nights the mothers has wasted on her child. The beauty of a life-long friendship is formed in the hours that friends have wasted on each other doing nothing but just relishing each other’s presence. The strength of a marriage between man and wife is forged in the many moments they have wasted on sweet nothings and in arguing endlessly over nothing.

The Little Prince had it pat down: “One sees rightly only with the heart. What is essential is invisible to the eyes.”

Lord, thank you for moments, not money. Moments make us more loving. Money only makes us greedy.

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Pray Without Becoming Weary

Posted on October 16, 2016 by Spirit Moments

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Jesus told his disciples a parable
about the necessity for them to pray always without becoming weary.
And the Lord said, “Will not God then secure the rights of his chosen ones
who call out to him day and night? ”
~ Luke 18:1,7

In the beginning, God said, “Let there be light!”
And there was light. And everything else that there is.
And it was all good.

Sometime in the past, God said, “Let Verne be!”
And there I was. And there unfolded a great story.
And it has been mostly good.

Today, God said, “Let another day dawn on earth.”
And there is there is the sun peeking through the rain clouds.
And it is refreshingly good.

And God said, “Let the rains fall on the on the thirsty earth.”
And so it does. And the plants and the trees rejoice at the blessing.
And it is life-giving good.

God has the world in the palm of His hands, 24/7.
I start my day in thanksgiving and I will end it later still giving thanks.
It will be another day of prayer and it will be good.

 

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The Spirit Moves

Posted on October 15, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Jesus said to his disciples:
“When they bring you before the synagogues, the rulers, and the authorities,
do not worry about how you are to defend yourselves or what you are to say;
for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.”
~ Luke 12:11-12

Fr. Abe once told me that a theologian does his work with the newspapers on one hand and the bible on the other. Today I scanned the newspapers to see where the Spirit is blowing:

  • “Global Deal Reached to Curb Chemical That Warms Planet” ~ New York Times
    This will keep our planet beautiful, the skies and the seas blue, the valleys and the mountains green.
  • “Silicon Valley is pouring money into efforts to repeal California’s death penalty” ~ Los Angeles Times. Here’s to a Restorative Justice and to a Culture of Life, instead of a Culture of Death.

  • “Children in Calais Jungle to arrive in UK ‘in days'” ~ BBC News. Putting into practice the Gospel: “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in.”

  • “Canada Just Wants To #TellAmericaItsGreat” ~ NPR. The good neighbor crosses the street to remind the US of her basic goodness even as the nation is slogging through what feels like the most contentious presidential election in decades.
  • “Day of prayer, thanksgiving: Bohol remembers 2013 quake” ~ Philippine Daily Inquirer. It was a terrible disaster but even in such a calamity, people of faith still find something to be thankful for.

“Lord, in the face of evil help us see your goodness;
in the face of ugliness help us see your beauty;
in the face of all the lies help us see your truth;
in the face of death and destruction help us see you Spirit of life and light.”

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The Precious Gift That Is Life

Posted on October 14, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“Are not five sparrows sold for two small coins?
Yet not one of them has escaped the notice of God.
Even the hairs of your head have all been counted.
Do not be afraid.
You are worth more than many sparrows.”
~ Luke 12:6-7

Life these days seems to be so cheap. A poor jobless man killed on the suspicions of being a drug pusher in the slums of Manila. Innocent children bombed out of existence in the rubbles of Aleppo. Unborn babies denied life by the millions in the abortion clinics of America. Whole nations rendered hungry and close to death because of political sanctions imposed against their leaders by opposing nations.

And yet, life is the most precious gift that we can receive. Because we are alive, everything is possible and nothing is impossible. Imagine all the possible contributions to humanity that would be lost if one life were lost. I always love to recall how Steve Jobs could have possibly been aborted as a baby. What a grievous loss it would have been if that had happened. I would paraphrase Pascal and say that it is a better wager to bet on life being a blessing rather than avoiding troubles by killing off one life.

Yet, life on earth is not meant to last forever. There comes a time when it has to end. And when it is time to go, we should also be ready and willing to level up to the next level. For whether in life or in death, we are worth more than many sparrows.

“Lord, thank you for the gift of life. Let us treasure it for the precious gift that it is – from you.”

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The Answer Is Blowing In The Wind

Posted on October 13, 2016 by Spirit Moments

The Lord said:
“Woe to you who build the memorials of the prophets
whom your fathers killed.
Consequently, you bear witness and give consent
to the deeds of your ancestors,
for they killed them and you do the building.”
~ Luke 11:47-48

Man’s history has been written in blood. Anger and hatred drive men to so much violence, they are all too soon off to war or out to persecute or kill the weak and the innocent. Even now, war drums are rolling in many places with China and Russia on war footing and the US and her allies rolling out their latest war machines, like the F35 and their latest aircraft carriers. It may seem to be in pursuit of some economic or political ends but is actually a war, a battle for possession of the earth’s resources and subjugating other people.

And the sad thing is this violence has often been done in the name of religion. The violence in the Middle East is about religion. And so is it in South Asia. And so it is in Africa and the Americas. One religion persecuting another – all in the name of God. And the irony of it all is when brothers takes arms against a brother: Sunni versus Shiite, Christians versus fellow Christians. It is a vicious battle, war for the souls and spirits of people.

It is all against the teachings and the law of God. Christ preached and taught love, compassion, kindness, forgiveness and service. He often greeted his followers with, “Peace!” What is so perverse in man’s nature that would seek to destroy itself?  The answer my friend is blowing in the wind.

Lord, remove the scales from our eyes and the rock from our hearts that we may live according to the love you have shown us.

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Change Begins With Me And In Me

Posted on October 12, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Then one of the scholars of the law said to him in reply,
“Teacher, by saying this you are insulting us too.”
And he said, “Woe also to you scholars of the law!
You impose on people burdens hard to carry,
but you yourselves do not lift one finger to touch them.”
~ Luke 11:45-46

When I am honest with myself, I sooner realize that what I hate in others is often what I hate most in myself. And I would sooner change others that change myself for that seems easier to do. I would gladly impose burdens on the other person and not lift a finger to change myself. Too much effort. Yes, I would re-create the world and others in my image and like-ness. That is, according to my liking.

But when I am really, really honest with myself I come face to face with the fact that the only thing or person I can change is myself. The others is his own person and will never be amenable to being re-created in my image and like-ness. Indeed, if I want to change the world, I can only begin and work on myself. It is up to the other person and the world if they would follow suit. They probably wouldn’t but I would have become the change I wanted to see in the world.

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Out Of The Fullness Of The Heart

Posted on October 11, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“So give for alms those things that are within;
and see, everything will be clean for you.”
~ Luke 11:41

“From the fullness of the heart, the mouth speaks.” Often, we can tell what is inside the human person by his words or his actions. A joyful and carefree spirit is reflected in a bright and smiling face. When one’s heart is filled with sorrow, the face is dark and gloomy.

Beware though of people who are cunning and deceitful. They are not to be trusted. They smile at you but deep inside are full of anger and hatred for you. They may seem to be generous and willing to help but they might just be out to take advantage of you. These are people who wear masks of deceit to hide their true intentions. And unfortunately, they are quite many.

But often in our daily lives we also wear masks. I would sometimes hold back my tongue and hide my true feelings for fear of hurting people I love. Or sometimes, I smile through my pain and sorrow so as not to burden or worry those around me. And I hate myself for those times when I would feign sadness just to get back at some people.

A good lesson therefore is to always have a heart that is full of love, kindness and joy. And then, to act out, say and do things out of the fulness of the heart. Then everything will be clean for me.

“Lord, fill my heart with your love and kindness, that everthing I do and say will be clean.”

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Signs

Posted on October 10, 2016 by Spirit Moments

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah.”
~ Luke 11:29

I shall not tempt the Lord by asking for signs of His love and presence.

I am alive and that is sign enough for me that He is. Because I am alive I can see all the beauty around me, all but a faint reflection of His perfect beauty. Because I am alive, I can do good and appreciate the goodness there is in others, all but a feeble mirroring of the His supreme goodness. Because I am alive, I can know, understand and speak the truth there is in me and in others, all but an echo of His absolute truth.

I am surrounded and nourished by the love and affection of persons who love me and are dear to me. I am not perfect. I have many faults. And yet there are many who would love and care for me in spite of all my shortcomings. I am grateful for their presence in my life. They could only have been sent by the source of all love and compassion to accompany me on my journey on earth. They are sign enough for me of the living and loving God who created me.

I am blessed by communities and brotherhoods that show me what sharing and service means. They are sign enough that there is a God who directs all the affairs of men so that in the end, He is able to make all things good, true and beautiful. In the communities of men, love will always triumph over hatred and anger, life over death and destruction, light over darkness and fear.

Lord, I will not ask for a sign, only that I do not miss the signs you have already put in place for me.

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Cleansing The World

Posted on October 9, 2016 by Spirit Moments

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 17:17-19

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There is so much anger and vitriol in the world today.
The internet is thick with disparaging and demeaning words.
Words that are meant to hurt, to harm and to destroy people or their reputations.
I hate to think how these ugly words merely reflect the ugliness in people’s hearts.
“Lord, have pity on us.”

With the ugliness in their hearts, people have also made their environment ugly.
The vile and the awful around us is but a reflection of what is within us.
The wars and the violence, the anger and the revenge but an echo of what we feel.
We have thrashed the world and we have made ourselves ugly.
It was a beautiful world when I gave it you, was it not?
You were beautiful when I created you, were you not?

I cannot change the world but I can do little things.
Like, I can choose to see the goodness and beauty around me, no matter how small,
and not add anymore to the evil and ugliness already in the world.
I will choose to speak words that heal and forgive,
instead of uttering words that hurt and destroy.
I believe in the power of the light to dispel the darkness;
I believe in the power of love to conquer hatred and anger;
I believe that life is stronger than death and that all my blessings spring forth from the fact that I am alive.
I shall stand up and go and let my faith save me.
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To Pray Is To Be Changed For The Better

Posted on October 8, 2016 by Spirit Moments

A woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
“Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed.”
He replied, “Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it.”
~ Luke 11:27-28

The benchmark I have always used in all my training and teaching engagements is changed behavior. Understanding and intellectual acceptance is important but unless the behavior of the learner or trainee changes, my work as a teacher or trainer has not been done. I have seen students, trainees, and subordinates change their behavior. Some, in minor ways. others, in big impressive ways. And in a few cases, in life-changing ways. For these experiences, I have been grateful.

And so it is in my spiritual life. The ultimate determinant of my prayers and faith is my changed behavior. But this is a more difficult challenge. Looking back, I often get frustrated because I have been praying for the same things and I seem have not changed. I imagine myself as a lump of clay in the hands of the Divine Potter. But often, I feel like a dry clump of soil: hardened and unyielding. Or, sometimes I imagine myself as gold being forged in the fire by the Great Blacksmith. But often, I feel like fool’s gold with pretensions to greatness.

Lord, let me hear your God sincerely and be transformed into the person you want me to be.

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