Evil Is Real

Posted on October 7, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“When an unclean spirit goes out of someone,
it roams through arid regions searching for rest
but, finding none, it says,
‘I shall return to my home from which I came.’
But upon returning, it finds it swept clean and put in order.
Then it goes and brings back seven other spirits
more wicked than itself who move in and dwell there,
and the last condition of that man is worse than the first.”
~ Luke 11:24-26

Many people do not believed in demons. I do and I am deadly afraid of them.

There is a lot of goodness and beauty in my life for me not to believe that there is a heaven, where I will come face to face with the Source and Maker of all the goodness and beauty I have seen and experienced. But neither as I so blind to the reality and presence of evil int his world that I would simply dismiss it and say that the devil does not exist.

When people kill and persecute others simply because they are different, that is evil and it is the handiwork of the devil. When people are so avaricious they would deny life and resources to live from others, the devil had taken possession of their souls. When people steal from innocent and ignorant people, or they take advantage of the weak and defenseless, demons have made their hearts their home.

Prayer is the best weapon against the devil and his works. Prayer is where we choose to be in God’s presence rather than succumb to the blandishments of evil.

Lord, lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil.

 

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Ask, Seek and Knock

Posted on October 6, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“And I tell you, ask and you will receive;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.”
~ Luke 11:9

There is nothing I have earnestly asked for that I did not receive: a loving family, a lovely home, a career driven by love and service. In fact, my life has been so blessed that I dare not ask anything more. In recent days, I have come to realize that life by itself is a tremendous gift. Because I am alive, everything is possible. Need I ask for anything more?

I have sought many things in my life: success, comfort, esteem, distinction. Most, I have found. These days, it seems, I’d rather let things find me than I finding them. I take each day as it comes and simply seek what each day has to say or do to me. I seek to find depth and meaning in the ordinary. I want to find company in my solitude and the greatest conversations in my silence. I want to find the moments I might have missed in every moment I still have to relish.

I have knocked on many doors and most have opened in serendipity and adventures for me. Lately, I have stopped knocking at doors. Instead, I wait for someone to knock at my door. Who else will come and knock at my door. I am afraid though that with my increasingly poor hearing, I might not hear it when someone knocks. Or, with my failing eyesight, I might not see or recognize who is at the door and turn away.

Lord, your words have been always been spirit and life to me. Teach me to be always grateful for what I have received, ever filled with wonder in my seeking, and constantly filled with faith at whoever and whatever is at my door.

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Teachers Day

Posted on October 5, 2016 by Spirit Moments

Jesus was praying in a certain place, and when he had finished,
one of his disciples said to him,
“Lord, teach us to pray just as John taught his disciples.”
~ Luke 11:1

Today is International Teachers Day. I have always considered myself, first and foremost as a teacher. I come from a family of teachers. My father was a teacher.He taught building construction skills all his life at the Pampanga School of Arts and Trade. He has contributed to Pampanga being the source of first-rate carpenters. He was the first in his family to go to college. And he inspired and financed some of his nieces and nephews to follow his footsteps.

It was as a teacher in Xavier School that I met Anabelle, the love of my life. She taught me a lot about what and how it is to love. She taught why and how I should stay in love even in the most difficult moments. Even now, in our senior years, we still have a lesson or two to teach each other.

Even when I was pursuing a corporate career, I devoted time to stay and keep on being a teacher – late at night and on weekends at the Ateneo Business School.  And as a manager, I always thought of my work as a being a teacher to my subordinates. Like a good teacher, I wanted to see those who worked with and for me to be more knowledgeable, better skilled and kinder and more compassionate persons after I have worked with them.

Learning and teaching are life-long experiences. They never stop. In my old age, I still strive to be both a teacher and a learner.

“Lord, teach me pray, to love, to serve, to give and share what you have given to me.”

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Taking It Slow And Silently

Posted on October 4, 2016 by Spirit Moments

The Lord said to her in reply,
“Martha, Martha, you are anxious
and worried about many things.
There is need of only one thing.
Mary has chosen the better part
and it will not be taken from her.”
~ Luke 10:41-42

Noise and speed seem to be characteristic of our times today. Many homes always have a TV set or some music always playing in the background (white noise). Then, there are those incessant video games many people play with so much noise and, yes, speed. Everyone in is a hurry to get to – nowhere? And the noise we make is not at all communication but distraction from life itself.

I value my moment of silence and slowing down. Even nature teaches us that there is a time for peace and quiet. This has traditionally been nights and sleep. But even nights, people have turned into noise and speed, sometimes even more hectic than the daytime. Great people who are known for their extraordinary achievements are also known to be men of silence and solitude. They spend as much time in prayer, meditation, reflection, study, reading as they do in activities and working.

To be is not only to act and do but it is also to reflect and pray.

“Lord, let me find you in quiet solitude that I may not miss you when I act and do.”

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Cross The Street To Help The Neighbor

Posted on October 3, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“Which of these three, in your opinion,
was neighbor to the robbers’ victim?”
He answered, “The one who treated him with mercy.”
Jesus said to him, “Go and do likewise.”
~ Luke 10:25-37

The neighbor is the one who crosses the street to show love and mercy to others.

Some weeks back a friend asked for my advice on what to do with a person she met online who asking asking for her help. It turns out this person in need is a convict who was serving time in prison. My first impulse was to tell my friend to run, not to cross street to help this convict.

That was a typical and an expected reaction from me. I would often not cross the street to avoid having to help or to give assistance. Or, sometimes I would cross the streets to avoid facing up to a problem or an obstacle coming down the road. Sometimes, I would send good wishes or monetary help or prayers just so I do not have to inconvenience myself by crossing the street. The most difficult part of being a neighbor is crossing that street.

“Lord. teach me to generous. Give me courage to cross the street when someone needs my help.”

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“Increase Our Faith.”

Posted on October 2, 2016 by Spirit Moments

DSCN6115

The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.”
The Lord replied,
“If you have faith the size of a mustard seed,
you would say to this mulberry tree,
‘Be uprooted and planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.”
~ Luke 17:5-6

Nature always speaks to me of beauty, goodness and truth. Even when the leaves begin to fall, there is great beauty in the wild profusion of the glowing colors of falling leaves. Even in the depths of winter, there is goodness germinating below the pure white mantle of snow covering the ground that will burst forth in stunning splendor come spring. Even in the heat of summer, there is always truth that life will always be stronger than death and decay.

And yet, when I look at what men do and are doing, I lose hope. Man is supposed to be the apex of creation. And yet, when I see his handiwork, I get shaken in my faith. My heart bleeds in sorrow and finds it difficult to love. We trash the earth and destroy the beauty there is around us. We give in to our anger and hatred and forget that we were born and created in and for goodness. We twist each other’s words and reality and the life we live have no resemblance at all to our real and true selves.

Lord, increase our faith.
Help us believe that life is stronger than death. May we do something today, however small, to proclaim and protect life.
Help us believe that your light is stronger than our darkness. May we do something today, however small, to dispel the darkness around us and within us.
Help us believe in the beauty of your creation. May we do something beautiful today for ourselves and others that this world may be a better place to live in.
Help us believe in goodness in ourselves and in others that we may have a taste of your Kingdom here on earth.
Help us believe and live in your truth that we may end trying to destroy and harm one another.
Amen

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God Today In The Here And Now

Posted on October 1, 2016 by Spirit Moments

At that very moment he rejoiced in the Holy Spirit and said,
“I give you praise, Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
for although you have hidden these things
from the wise and the learned
you have revealed them to the childlike.
Yes, Father, such has been your gracious will.”
~ Luke 10:21

 I see God in the vastness and grandeur of the universe. I see Him in the beauty and goodness there is nature. I see Him in the awesome discoveries and inventions of men. I see Him moving in history and creation, revealing His handiwork.

Yet all of these big and wondrous things are often hidden in the small and ordinary events of everyday life. The vastness and grandeur of the universe can lie hidden in a grain of sand. The beauty and goodness of nature is re-created with the birth of each new baby. The awesome discoveries and inventions of men find their origin in the explorations of growing children.

Thus, God took up men’s failings and weaknesses and wrote a story of how the son of carpenter would save the world while hanging on the cross. And this story is re-created over and over again. Ordinary fishermen and peasants heed his call and they change the world. Scions of rich families forsake their wealth and privilege and, with a life of poverty and simplicity, they make this world a better place to live in. Simple girls fall in love with him and abandon all to spend their days in prayer and companionship with him.

“Lord, you work your wonders both in the grandeur of the universe and in our ordinary daily lives. Help us see your hand working out in our lives and in our world.”

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To Listen, Be Open.

Posted on September 30, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“Whoever listens to you listens to me.
Whoever rejects you rejects me.
And whoever rejects me rejects the one who sent me.”
~ Luke 10:16

Oh when will be ever learn?

When a man with power and authority speaks, most people listen even when he spews out inanities or outright prevarications. One only has to look at many of our political leaders. But when the weak and powerless speak the truth, they are dismissed as deserving of their fate or their truth is diminished and downright disregarded.

When a rich person speaks, people assume he knows what he is talking about even though he might be robbing people blind or cheating them out of their resources. One only has to look at the wolves of Wall Street. But when the poor and the impoverished speak of their needs, people turn their heads away or close their ears.

When a famous personality speaks, the world stops and shrieks in delight even if what their star has to say does not make ant sense at all. One only has to witness the endless time and resources people engage in star-watching. But when the neglected ones of the world speak out, they are dissed as radicals, rebels and rabble-rousers.

Oh, when will be ever see or hear or feel?

“Lord, open my eyes that I may see.
Open my ear that I may hear.
Open my mouth that I may pray.
Open my heart that I may love.
Open my hands that I may serve.”

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Feast Of The Holy Angels

Posted on September 29, 2016 by Spirit Moments

“You will see greater things than this.”
And he said to him, “Amen, amen, I say to you,
you will see heaven opened
and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”
~ John 1:51

This is something I wrote two years ago on the Feast of the Holy Angels. I reflect on these words once more.

One of the most comforting thoughts from my childhood is that of my Guardian Angel. As a child, I was able to overcome my fear of the dark and of the uncertain by relying on my Guardian Angel to protect me and keep me from harm. One of the earliest prayers I learned is the prayer to my Guardian Angel. In my tender mind, I constantly had a pretty clear picture of my Guardian Angel always hovering around me, with his wings outspread as my mantle of protection.

As I grew up so did my Guardian Angel and my understanding and recognition of him. I saw less of his wings and his long lily-white robe. Often, he would now come in different guises. When I feel low and discouraged, he comes as a loved one to give me a shoulder to lean on or a helping hand to nudge me forward. When I am ecstatic with joy and he comes as a friend to share in my happiness. When I start becoming cynical and pessimistic about things and events around me, he comes as an innocent child to remind me of my own innocence and idealism. And when I stray, he comes as a subtle reminder from persons I truly respect.

Today is the Feast of the Archangels Michael, Gabriel and Raphael. This passage is from one of today’s readings:

War broke out in heaven;
Michael and his angels battled against the dragon.
The dragon and its angels fought back,
but they did not prevail
and there was no longer any place for them in heaven.

That sounds like a great cosmic battle between good and evil out there in space right out of a Star Wars movie. And indeed that is what life is all about. Angels are literally God’s messengers to remind me “to choose constantly for the light in the midst of a dark world and for life in the midst of a death-harboring society.” When I am afraid or tired to venture forth into the unknown and uncertain, an angel comes along to prod me on. When I am too angry to see the bigger picture, an angel comes to restore my vision. When I am full of hate and bitterness, an angel comes along to draw me out of my self-centeredness. When I am too greedy or selfish to share, an angel comes along to remind me of the joy of giving.

Yes, I believe in angels.

“Angel of God , my guardian dear
To Whom His love commits me here
Ever this day  be at my side
To light and guard, to rule and guide. Amen”  
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Creation Spirituality

Posted on September 28, 2016 by Spirit Moments

As Jesus and his disciples were proceeding
on their journey, someone said to him,
“I will follow you wherever you go.”
Jesus answered him,
“Foxes have dens and birds of the sky have nests,
but the Son of Man has nowhere to rest his head.”
~ Luke 9:57-58

Early this year, we were in Washington State and we were awed at the beauty that is Mount Rainier. There she stood majestically, glacier-capped, silent and solitary, affecting everything on and around her.P1450689 There she has stood for eons. Mute yet perceptive. She carries in her rocks and soil a record of ages past. In her bowels are the records of how the earth has been transformed and changed over time. She has witnessed ice ages, volcanic upheavals, climate changes, storms and earthquakes. If we know how to listen, she has many stories to tell.

I have also often stood under many giant Sequoia trees  here in California and marveled at their height, size and age. I would hold their trunks or just stand under their shade to try to catch some of the pranha they have been collecting and storing through the centuries they have been around. These trees, standing silent and solitary, are also mute witnesses and faithful recorders of everything that have transpired. Scientists have learned to read the rings of their trunks to know how the climate and weather have been through the years. Yes, if we know how to listen, they too have many stories to tell.

I often spent moments in silence and solitude, like the majestic mountain or like the towering centuries-old trees, and I hear the beating of my heart. I feel a deep kinship to the mountains and the trees. They  came before me as though somebody had to prepare a place before I could come into life. And in the silence and solitude, I hear the whisperings only a believing heart could hear: “I have loved you since the beginning of time. But it took me a while to get things ready for your coming. Now, will you follow me?”

“Lord, thank you for the gift of life. Thank you for nature and the world and people around me that make me possible. I dare not ask for anything more.”

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