What Is a Family?

Posted on July 21, 2015 by Spirit Moments

I grew up in a culture and milieu where family had precedence over most other things. Many of my fondest memories are the times I spent with my family, which was an ever-expanding and dynamic entity. And now in my old age, I find my family even more precious and relish every moment I can with them. There have been several instances in the past when I turned my back to a job offer or a career, no matter how well paying or lucrative, for the sake of my family.

In recent years, I have seen changes in families and family life that have been unsettling and even disturbing. As recently as the 1960’s, anti-miscegenation laws were part of American law. Nowadays, there is more openness and diversity; and interracial marriages are common and accepted. ‘Two-race’ is now among the choices people can tick off to describe their racial stock. I find this a welcome development.

Family is often a mother, a father and their children. It is sad that many household in the US today are single person households. There are so many people living by themselves – with a pet or two. There are those who have made this as a lifestyle choice but I can imagine the loneliness there must be in some of those homes.

And now there are same-sex couples building up their homes and raising their own families. This trend has been redefining what constitutes a family and how a family should be defined. I have seen same-sex parents with wonderful families and I have no problem accepting them. But I am still trying to wrap my mind and my heart around the idea of same-sex marriage.

In the end, I guess the question is whether love is the moving force behind all these changes and developments. I have met people, living alone, who do great things for others either through their work or their social engagements. They show great love for others. Yet because of a variety of reasons, they have chosen to live alone. I have seen gay people living together as one great family, often with more palpable love than in the homes of hetero couples. They are happy homes, full of love.

A family is where love grows. And where people live together in love, there is a family. Family may primarily be determined by blood. But in the end, family is about the people we have chosen to love.

Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
~ Exodus 15:1
While Jesus was speaking to the crowds,
his mother and his brothers appeared outside,
wishing to speak with him.
Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside,
asking to speak with you.”
But he said in reply to the one who told him,
“Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?”
And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said,
“Here are my mother and my brothers.
For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father
is my brother, and sister, and mother.”
Matthew 12:46-50
 
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Asking For Signs

Posted on July 20, 2015 by Spirit Moments

If I listen and pay attention, there are enough signs for me to know that God is present in my life. There are moments of prayer when He comes to me in palpable ways. There moments of peak experiences when I realize I have more blessings in life than I truly deserve. There are the many moments with family and friends and when experiencing their love and affections, I whisper in gratitude that these are angels whom God sent to reassure me of His love. There are simple silent moments when I feel Him in the cool breeze of the morning or the slow coming of the dawn or in the awesome passing of the seasons.

There are also moments of noise and turmoil when I find myself wondering where my God is. There are times of trials and tribulations and I find myself wondering where God is during the storms in my life. I see great poverty, want and deprivation among many people and I ask whether God truly cares when there is so much hunger and pain. I read about all the violence and hatred among people and I wonder when God would smite all these bad people and wipe them off from the face of the earth.

I refuse to tempt the Lord. I will not ask from Him for palpable signs of His loving presence. I will trust in the Lord, knowing that here is someone who is greater than Jonah or Solomon. And He works His wonders everyday in my daily life, even in the ordinary events that happen to me.

Let us sing to the Lord; he has covered himself in glory.
~ Exodus 15:1
Some of the scribes and Pharisees said to Jesus,
“Teacher, we wish to see a sign from you.”
He said to them in reply,
“An evil and unfaithful generation seeks a sign,
but no sign will be given it
except the sign of Jonah the prophet.
Just as Jonah was in the belly of the whale three days and three nights,
so will the Son of Man be in the heart of the earth
three days and three nights.
At the judgment, the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because they repented at the preaching of Jonah;
and there is something greater than Jonah here.
At the judgment the queen of the south will arise with this generation
and condemn it, because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon;
and there is something greater than Solomon here.”
Matthew 12:38-42
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Random Reasons

Posted on July 19, 2015 by Spirit Moments
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In every forest always,
There are quiet glades
Where men and beasts
Can find rest and shade.

Droughts may scorch and dry
But they may also serve
To ream the underground cisterns
to contain more water when it comes.

Water may flood and wash away
Dead wood, the detritus and debris
And as the waters sweep clean the land
They make it rich with fertility.

Man is awed by nature
And marvels why the sky is blue.
He only needs to look around him
And he knows what to do.

Man has to work to live
And when he’s tired, he rests.
Man has to eat to survive
And when he’s hungry, he feeds.

What is scattered, he gathers.
What he has gathered, he keeps.
What he keeps, he treasures.
What he treasures, he shares.

Nothing in nature nor in life
Is ever random nor by chance.
Just as the glade is the forest refreshes.
Why man does what he does has its causes.

The beauty he sees in the flower
Is but the glimpse of an immortal power.
And the goodness he does to others
Makes all of mankind his brothers.

The Lord is my shepherd; there is nothing I shall want.
~ Psalm 23
The apostles gathered together with Jesus
and reported all they had done and taught.
He said to them,
“Come away by yourselves to a deserted place and rest a while.”
People were coming and going in great numbers,
and they had no opportunity even to eat.
So they went off in the boat by themselves to a deserted place.
People saw them leaving and many came to know about it.
They hastened there on foot from all the towns
and arrived at the place before them.
When he disembarked and 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.
Mark 6:30-34
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It Is Still A Wonderful World

Posted on July 18, 2015 by Spirit Moments

There are many times I feel that it is a sad and sick world we live in. Dylan Roof walks into a church, joins in their bible discussions and then goes about to shooting these same people who welcomed him. Mohammod Youssuf Abdulazeez drives around town and, unprovoked, starts shooting up and killing Marines and other people in uniform. Why are some people so willing and so ready to kill and destroy?

Tim Tebow wears his faith on his sleeves and he get criticized and chastised for it. Bruce Jenner transforms himself into Caitylin and he is lionized for his courage and declared a hero. A couple in San Francisco is battling it out in court on what to do with five frozen embryos born from their egg cells and sperm cells. Why are these embryos even existing outside of a womb?

There was once a man who went around bringing healing and comfort to the sick and the poor. He proclaimed justice for the oppressed and the downtrodden. He built up what what broken instead of taking it down. A bruised reed He did not break, but rather nursed it back to health. A smoldering wick He did not quench, instead He fanned it into a burning flame. He did good and spoke well. He brought hope to those in despair. He fed the hungry. He consoled the lonely. But in the end, they crucified Him as a condemned criminal.

God writes straight with crooked lines. I do not know how He will do it. But in His time, He will make all things true and good and beautiful. It is still a wonderful world.

Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good, for his mercy endures forever.
~ Psalm 136
The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus
to put him to death.
When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.
Many people followed him, and he cured them all,
but he warned them not to make him known.
This was to fulfill what had been spoken through Isaiah the prophet:
“Behold, my servant whom I have chosen,
my beloved in whom I delight;
I shall place my Spirit upon him,
and he will proclaim justice to the Gentiles.
He will not contend or cry out,
nor will anyone hear his voice in the streets.
A bruised reed he will not break,
a smoldering wick he will not quench,
until he brings justice to victory.
And in his name the Gentiles will hope.”
Matthew 12:14-21
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Thank God For Another Wonderful Day!

Posted on July 17, 2015 by Spirit Moments

It’s another wonderful day. The sun is out and the sky is clear and blue. Another day to truly appreciate life and to to be thankful to be alive. It could be a rainy and wet day like it is in the Philippines right now. Or, it could be the middle of a drought such as what California is going through right now. But in spite of it all, there is always reason to be appreciative of life and to be thankful for all its blessings.

Ii is Julia’s birthday and I look forward to seeing her and Mickey for dinner tonight. I thank God for all the wonderful people in my life. I can never truly fathom the reason why I have been blessed with so many wonderful people in my life: family, friends, colleagues and comrades. Not everyone I have met has been an angel. I have met some devils and a few monsters in my life. Still in all, I have learned to accept them and have tried never to be judgmental. God has been very patient and forgiving of me. I try to live out His loving kindness and forgiving love in my life as well.

Life is a blessing. And it is totally undeserved and unmerited. But it is not meant to be lived in irresponsible licentiousness nor in selfish, pleasure seeking hedonism. Nature and its beauty is there for me to appreciate, take care of and be thankful for. People and their goodness are there for me to care for, to love and to serve, to be happy and joyful with. Life and its truth is there for me to learn and understand, to live by and stand for, to seek and finally find the Light.

I will take the cup of salvation, and call on the name of the Lord.
~ Psalm 116
Jesus was going through a field of grain on the sabbath.
His disciples were hungry
and began to pick the heads of grain and eat them.
When the Pharisees saw this, they said to him,
“See, your disciples are doing what is unlawful to do on the sabbath.”
He said to the them, “Have you not read what David did
when he and his companions were hungry,
how he went into the house of God and ate the bread of offering,
which neither he nor his companions
but only the priests could lawfully eat?
Or have you not read in the law that on the sabbath
the priests serving in the temple violate the sabbath
and are innocent?
I say to you, something greater than the temple is here.
If you knew what this meant, I desire mercy, not sacrifice,
you would not have condemned these innocent men.
For the Son of Man is Lord of the sabbath.”
Matthew 12:1-8
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Yokes And Burdens

Posted on July 16, 2015 by Spirit Moments

I am currently grappling with a major health issue. I may have to undergo a radical procedure in the coming days. Still in all, I am amazed by the wonder that is the human body. My body has served me well all these years in spite of the many abuses I have subjected it to. Although I have generally lived a healthy life in recent years, I am now paying for the immoderation and self-indulgence of my yesteryears.

The body has the best immune and protective system to defend it. A healthy body can fight off infections that it encounters everyday. It can repair any tissue that is damaged. It can bring itself back to homeostasis whenever there is imbalance among its systems. But an abusive and profligate lifestyle can wreck havoc even to this finely made machine that the body is.

I have learned that going a little bit hungry, experiencing that grumblings that come with hunger pangs every now and then, is healthier than having a full stomach most of the time. I have learned that a full night’s rest (at least eight hours) is important to allow the body to renew itself and regenerate all the damaged tissues and cells in the body. I have learned that exercise is important to stretch and stimulate my muscles to make them strong and resilient. I have learned to listen to my body to be able to attain and maintain a homeostatic balance in my life.

So, yokes and burdens are not to be avoided for they help me strain to move forward. I have to alternate them with moments of rest; for what does not break me will make me stronger.

The Lord remembers his covenant for ever.
~ Psalm 105
Jesus said:
“Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened,
and I will give you rest.
Take my yoke upon you and learn from me,
for I am meek and humble of heart;
and you will find rest for yourselves.
For my yoke is easy, and my burden light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
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On Being Childlike

Posted on July 15, 2015 by Spirit Moments

We often see infants as helpless and dependent on adults. We see them as cute, as guileless and as innocent as angels. In fact, infants have a lot to teach us it we just pause and reflect.

We have coded in us everything we need to survive. Each person has his unique DNA that describes the person that he is and will be. We have it in us what we need to live a full and meaningful life.

An infant grows in its mother’s womb until it is time to be born. From the mother’s egg cell and the father’s sperm cell, a new life is created and nurtured in the safety and comfort of the womb. Suffused in the womb’s ambient light and nourished by the mother’s loving care, the new life slowly matures into an infant.

All infants are thrust into the world assured of their mother’s love and care. No infant is ever born with hatred or anger in its heart. He only remembers the safety, warmth and loving embrace of its mother’s womb. Somehow, as we grow up we forget all of that and learn hatred, anger, selfishness, greed and all the weaknesses that makes our lives miserable.

Being child-like is being able to capture and re-learn what we have always known from birth. We were born out of love and to love, not out of hatred or anger nor to give in to hating or to ill temper. We were born to bring life and light to the world, not death nor destruction to people and things around us. We were born for joy and happiness, not to a life of misery and pain.

The Lord is kind and merciful.
~ Psalm 103
At that time Jesus exclaimed:
“I give praise to you, 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.
All things have been handed over to me by my Father.
No one knows the Son except the Father,
and no one knows the Father except the Son
and anyone to whom the Son wishes to reveal him.”
Matthew 11:25-27
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Reasons To Believe

Posted on July 14, 2015 by Spirit Moments

Man has always prided himself as the pinnacle of creation, defining himself as “the rational animal.” He delights in his intelligence and capacity for logic. He takes great pleasure in his achievements to the point of believing he is in control. Yet, for all his smarts and ability to reason, man often behaves very irrationally.

Man cannot live without air. Three minutes is all it takes for a person to realize this. And we have this wonderful symbiosis with trees where they give us the oxygen we breathe and we exhale the carbon dioxide that they in turn need. And yet, men have been cutting trees with impunity. We have been destroying forests by the millions of hectares every year. When trees are gone, where will we get the air we need to live?

Man can live without water for three days. And seeing that water is so essential to life, one would think we would do everything to secure and save our water resources. And yet, we have so polluted our planet, we have made our vast oceans gigantic garbage patches. Rivers and lakes are dying because of humans’ despoliation of them. When the last drop of clean water is gone, how can we expect to survive?

It seems so simple and so logical but we need to take care of the earth for the earth to continue taking care of us. We need to take care of one another instead of killing or abusing one another for us to survive as a species. We are part of a meaningful whole. We are not just a random event or a chance happening. There is a good reason why we are here. Is it so hard to see the logic and reason behind that statement? There are so many good reasons to believe. But then again, to a believer, no reasons are necessary; but to a non-believer, no reasons are ever satisfactory.

Turn to the Lord in your need, and you will live.
~ Psalm 69

Jesus began to reproach the towns
where most of his mighty deeds had been done,
since they had not repented.
“Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida!
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst
had been done in Tyre and Sidon,
they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for Tyre and Sidon on the day of judgment than for you.
And as for you, Capernaum:
Will you be exalted to heaven?
You will go down to the netherworld.
For if the mighty deeds done in your midst had been done in Sodom,
it would have remained until this day.
But I tell you, it will be more tolerable
for the land of Sodom on the day of judgment than for you.”
Matthew 11:20-24
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Encountering Christ Today

Posted on July 13, 2015 by Spirit Moments

If Christ were here today, I doubt if He would be welcome in the board rooms of Wall Street. He would probably chastise the people there as He did the Pharisees,“You brood of vipers, how can you, being evil, speak what is good? For the mouth speaks out of that which fills the heart.” And the people in those board rooms would probably also have Him crucified. Pope Francis comes to the poor, the lowly and those in the peripheries and they come out in droves to welcome him.

If Christ were here today, I cannot imagine Him carousing in indulgence and hedonism with the denizens of Hollywood. For beneath all the noisy merry-making is a deep-rooted emptiness that people want to forget. This emptiness would be among the evil spirits that Christ drove out of people’s lives. Pope Francis visits the hungry and the sick, sharing but a cup of cold water, a piece of bread, a loving embrace and a few words of consolation and it instantly becomes a feast.

If Christ were here today, I think it highly unlikely that He would be truly welcome in the halls of legislations where law-makers keep on legislating laws agains the dignity and sanctity of human life. They would throw Him out because there is a separation of Church and State. Pope Francis visits and is welcomed in prisons where he talks about love and forgiveness, penance and penitence.

In fact, the Sermon on the Mount today is proclaimed not from a grassy knoll but upon the garbage heaps in the slums where the poor and outcasts live. Christ is not welcome in the halls and homes of the rich, the powerful and the famous. He is welcome in the hovels and communities of the last, the lost and the least of the brothers.

I need not guess where I can truly encounter Him.

Our help is in the name of the Lord.
~ Psalm 124
Jesus said to his Apostles:
“Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.
Whoever receives a prophet because he is a prophet
will receive a prophet’s reward,
and whoever receives a righteous man
because he is righteous
will receive a righteous man’s reward.
And whoever gives only a cup of cold water
to one of these little ones to drink
because he is a disciple–
amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward.”
Matthew 10:40-11:1
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God in Control

Posted on July 12, 2015 by Spirit Moments
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“A tree that falls makes more noise than a forest that grows.” ~ Pope Francis

The world loves to be in control. And control is often measured in terms of wealth, power, and fame. The world’s financial and economic leaders are in panic over Greece because they can’t control the Greek people and their leaders, who are not acting out according to their (the bankers’ and the creditors’) script and prescriptions. There is not as much anxiety over what is happening in China because the leaders of the world perceive the Chinese leaders to be in control. In fact, they are so in total control, they expect their citizens to follow their rules, or else . . . .

I know I am not in control. God is in control. I have often succumbed to the ways of the world, thinking I am in control. In my own time, I have sought wealth, power and fame. I have made noises and tried to claim my own place in the sun. But I have realized that there is more growth in the the silently growing forest than in the the hustling and the bustling of the rat race.

And here comes Pope Francis, eschewing the world’s insatiable quest for wealth, power, and fame. Instead, he proclaims mercy and forgiveness, love and compassion, inclusion and going out into the fringes and peripheries. In many secular cultures and societies today, the Church has been driven into the peripheries.

There were times in the past, the Church used to enjoy and dispense great material wealth and riches. Today, the Church is out of the loop when it comes to global talks and discussions about money and finances. These are done in Wall Street and other financial centers, not the Vatican.

There were times in the past that the Church wielded great power – not only spiritual but also temporal and political. There was a time when no emperor was crowned unless blessed and sanctioned by the Pope. Today, political leaders hardly ever give a thought to what the Church has to say about world affairs. The Church has been sidelined in most political discussions and decisions.

There were times in the past when to be among the Church hierarchy was to enter a world of fame and authority. What churchmen did or decreed generally became the norms of conduct in polite society. Today, most churchmen are seen as anachronistic, specially by the young.

Yet, in being driven t the peripheries, the Church has encountered those driven into the same peripheries by the ways of the world. Wealth has become so concentrated in the hands of a few people and a few nations, the rest of the world has become poor and destitute. Power is in the hands of a handful of people, the rest of the world have become powerless and defenseless. Fame has been reserved for those with wealth and power and the rest have become mere spectators, with totally no control over their lives.

In that ironic serendipity where the Church has been driven to the fringes and peripheries, the Church has re-discovered where it should be – in the fringes and the peripheries. Pope Francis has challenged us to go out into these places and encounter the poor and the destitute, the powerless and the defenseless, the abandoned and those excluded.

In simplicity, he proclaims the good news, the joy of the gospel. He heals people of their despair and hopelessness. He drives away the devils of greed, hatred and violence. And now, the world is starting to pay attention to what he is doing and to listen to what he is saying.

God is in control. Not the world.

Lord, let us see your kindness, and grant us your salvation.
~ Psalm 85
Jesus summoned the Twelve and began to send them out two by two
and gave them authority over unclean spirits.
He instructed them to take nothing for the journey
but a walking stick—
no food, no sack, no money in their belts.
They were, however, to wear sandals
but not a second tunic.
He said to them,
“Wherever you enter a house, stay there until you leave.
Whatever place does not welcome you or listen to you,
leave there and shake the dust off your feet
in testimony against them.”
So they went off and preached repentance.
The Twelve drove out many demons,
and they anointed with oil many who were sick and cured them.
Mark 6:7-13
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