Pray, that Your Joy May Be Complete

Posted on May 16, 2015 by Spirit Moments

There are many times I ask God to grant me things in my prayers. Some of my requests are so preposterous and impossible I would wonder why I am even asking God for them. But usually God would give them anyway, maybe not right away or maybe in some slightly different form. Sometimes, I ask for things I myself would not believe possible; but they would happen anyway. At other times, I ask for things I could do for myself and in shame and guilt I would end up doing them myself.

I always try to thank God to all my answered prayers but there are many times I forget or just take things given to me for granted or even consider them as my entitlements. Often, during the day, when in the midst of all the bustle and flurry of daily life my mind strays to think of God for a moment, I say a little prayer of “Thank you, Lord.” for this moment, for just being here, for being alive.

Prayers is not only about asking. It is not only about asking and thanking. Even as a child, I had been taught that praying is talking to God. I look at the world around in wonderment and amazement at all the beauty and awesomeness in it, and I break out into praise and worship of Him who created it all. I gaze at the night sky and the stars and I try to reach out of the light simmering in the darkness, hoping to touch the Source of infinite light.

I find the most interesting conversations I have with God are those where I talk to Him about the people in my life. I thank God for the gift of their presence in my life. I tell Him the things we have done together or have talked about. I ask God to grant the fondest wishes and the most cherished dreams in their hearts. I pray for their health, their safety and their happiness. I pray that God keep us all in the palm of His hands.

God is king of all the earth.
~ Psalm 47

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.
Until now you have not asked anything in my name;
ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.”
John 16:23-28

Posted in Presence, Relationships | Tagged | Comments Off on Pray, that Your Joy May Be Complete

Absence and True Love

Posted on May 15, 2015 by Spirit Moments

What is it about seeing old friends or loved ones again after an absence that makes the heart skip a beat or even leap for joy? We met up with a good friend yesterday and she had a certain glow. It must be love I said. It is seeing an old friend she said. We are gone a week now and I am longing for Jane. It is with joy that I look forward to flying home tomorrow.

People have a way of carving a space in our hearts and that space feels really empty when these people are out of sight. Absence does make the heart grow fonder. In absentia, the other person becomes more beautiful, more lovable, kinder and gentler in our memory. And it is with joyful anticipation that we look forward to being together again.

Absence is a sure test of love and friendship. True love remains faithful and true even in the absence of a loved one. True friends can pick up from they last left off when they meet again.

God is king of all the earth.
~ Psalm 47

Jesus said to his disciples:
“So you also are now in anguish.
But I will see you again, and your hearts will rejoice,
and no one will take your joy away from you.
On that day you will not question me about anything.
Amen, amen, I say to you,
whatever you ask the Father in my name he will give you.”
John 16:20-23

Posted in Friendship, Love, Relationships | Comments Off on Absence and True Love

Chosen

Posted on May 14, 2015 by Spirit Moments

I did not choose to be born. Someone made that decision for me. And for the time that I have been alive I am forever grateful.

I will most likely not decide when or where or how I will die. That time will come and it will not be of my choosing. And I look forward to that moment with excitement for it what came before is any indication, I am truly excited about what else will follow after.

In between my birth and my death, there have been many events I never expected not chose to be in, many people who came my way without me seeking them out, many places I have been to I never ever imagined I would be in. And I look back in amazement in deep gratitude and humility.

“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you.” I do have my freedom and I have often gone against the grain, went against the flow, done the opposite of what people expected of me. But through it all – successes and failures, triumphs and disasters, laughter and tears – there is One who always chooses the good and the best for me, who chooses me even when I wouldn’t. For that, I am forever grateful.

The Lord will give him a seat with the leaders of his people.
~ Psalm 113

Jesus said to his disciples:
“It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
John 15:9-17

Posted in Discipleship, Presence, Relationships | Tagged | Comments Off on Chosen

Musings in a Foreign Land

Posted on May 13, 2015 by Spirit Moments

We are now in Copenhagen and I try to begin each day in Sacred Space, meeting up with the Lord. And He is here. In fanciful musing, I am imagining whether the Lord has also traveled with us here in this place for our morning encounters or He has been here already waiting for me. Perhaps, I am like a fish swimming in the vast ocean and God is the ocean. He sustains me and surrounds me all the time, in all the places I swim to.

Everything that happens in my life has its time and place. I may sometimes believe that the time and place are my choosing. But everything around me is ocean. Without the ocean I am literally a fish out of the water. And without God in my life, I am indeed a fish out of the water.

In His time and in His place, He makes all things come to be.

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.
~ Psalm 148

Jesus said to his disciples:
“I have much more to tell you, but you cannot bear it now.
But when he comes, the Spirit of truth,
he will guide you to all truth.
He will not speak on his own,
but he will speak what he hears,
and will declare to you the things that are coming.
He will glorify me,
because he will take from what is mine and declare it to you.
Everything that the Father has is mine;
for this reason I told you that he will take from what is mine
and declare it to you.”
John 16:12-15

Posted in Discipleship, Encounter, Presence | Comments Off on Musings in a Foreign Land

More Than What Science Can Tell Me

Posted on May 12, 2015 by Spirit Moments

We are all familiar with the usual three states of matter: solid, liquid and gas. Now, scientists are talking about a new state of matter – “Jahn-Teller metals”. From the little I have read, I have no way of imagining it how different it is from the usual forms I already know.  It hints at the possibility of super conductivity at high temperatures which can change the way we generate, use and store energy in the future even as we are running out of non-renewable sources of energy.

One thing it definitely tells me is there is more to reality and existence that we know and even understand.The more we discover and come to know things, the more we realize there is a lot more to discover and to understand.

Christ did not teach about science but He did show us that there is more to life and our existence that science or philosophy can ever dream of. He showed us that there is more to the world around us that can be perceived and revealed by our senses. He knew of laws and principles that are beyond the pall of reason and science. He knew we are more than just our bodies and that there is something deep inside us that longs for union with and fulfillment in a loving Presence, who is our Creator at the same time Father. I only have to be still to feel that Presence in my innermost core.

Your right hand saves me, O Lord.
~ Psalm 138

Jesus said to his disciples:
“Now I am going to the one who sent me,
and not one of you asks me, ‘Where are you going?’
But because I told you this, grief has filled your hearts.
But I tell you the truth, it is better for you that I go.
For if I do not go, the Advocate will not come to you.
But if I go, I will send him to you.
And when he comes he will convict the world
in regard to sin and righteousness and condemnation:
sin, because they do not believe in me;
righteousness, because I am going to the Father
and you will no longer see me;
condemnation, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.”
John 16:5-11

Posted in Faith, Science | Comments Off on More Than What Science Can Tell Me

God’s People Today

Posted on May 11, 2015 by Spirit Moments

It is our second day in Amsterdam. I am struck by the cosmopolitan and very secular atmosphere of the city. There is a lively artistic and cultural ambiance. But the true drivers of the city seem to be finance and business concerns. Still in all, one cannot miss the Christian roots of the culture and the community. I can see this in the high level of tolerance and openness among the Dutch. Their religious tolerance is so inspiring that prior to the Nazi extermination of the Jews, a full quarter of the the population of Amsterdam was Jewish due to the influx of Jewish émigrés fleeing anti-Semitism.

I have a feeling many Dutchmen today no longer practice or are active in any organized or traditional religion. And yet, as we walk the streets of the city, there would be chimes and the ringing of the bells from some nearby church announcing the hours. Somehow, there is some air or whiff of the transcendent alive in the place that is centuries old.

If the apostles Peter and Paul were to show up today, I wonder if they will recognize the Church they have started in our world today. They will immediately notice that this Church has all but disappeared in the rich affluent countries of the West, with the possible exception of the United States. They will definitely be happy to see it alive and growing in among the poor and disadvantaged communities in the Third Countries of Latin America, Asia and Africa.

The issues confronting the churches today will be different from the issues they struggle with in the early communities. Then, they were argued whether the Gospel was to be proclaimed to the Gentiles as well and whether to circumcise pagan converts or not. but they will be inspired to know that the way of proceeding has stayed the same: in prayerful discernment, the communities gather together and guided by the Holy Spirit; they would resolve their arguments by reflecting on their experience and then they were able to conclude: “It seems good to the Holy Spirit and to us…”

Many of the present day practices may seem strange and different; but they will definitely see and feel the presence of the Lord when these communities break bread together and remember the Lord’s Supper with the same words they have handed down to us. They will see how faithful we have been in proclaiming the good news and baptizing all who would believe in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. They will be gladden that we still lay hands and anoint with oil those who have been fully initiated into the Lord’s communion. They will recognize the Church and the indwelling of the Trinity among the believers and followers of the Christ.

The Lord takes delight in his people.
~ Psalm 149

Jesus said to his disciples:
“When the Advocate comes whom I will send you from the Father,
the Spirit of truth who proceeds from the Father,
he will testify to me.
And you also testify,
because you have been with me from the beginning.
“I have told you this so that you may not fall away.
They will expel you from the synagogues;
in fact, the hour is coming when everyone who kills you
will think he is offering worship to God.
They will do this because they have not known either the Father or me.
I have told you this so that when their hour comes
you may remember that I told you.”
John 15:26-16:4

Posted in Discipleship, Presence | Comments Off on God’s People Today

God the Mother

Posted on May 10, 2015 by Spirit Moments

P1090063

The primary driving force in the life of Jesus is His relationship with the Father and His total obedience to His will. He totally does the will of the Father even when this meant dying on the cross. He has changed our image of God from an almighty and powerful Lord to the all-loving and forgiving Father whom He intimately addressed “Abba Father.” For Jesus, God was not one who would judge and condemn but an all-forgiving father who loves us unconditionally, like the father in the parable of the prodigal son.

But can we also imagine God as God the Mother? There are also images of God as mother in the Bible, specially in Isaiah. God consoles His people and tells them: “As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you; you shall be comforted in Jerusalem.” And the most tender image of God that I love compares God’s love for us to that of a mother, “Can a woman forget her nursing child, or show no compassion for the child of her womb? Even these may forget, yet I will not forget you.” This verse from Isaiah served as the inspiration for Fr. Manoling’s immortal classic Hindi Kita Malilimutan.

This thought crossed my mind because oday is Mother’s Day. Facebook has an overload of Mother’s Day greetings. At least once a year, people spend some moments thinking of and thanking mothers. I have been touched by some of the praises and appreciations that some of my friends and family have written about Mother, Mommy, Mom, Ima, Nanay, Mama and overflowing to sisters, aunts, grandmas and in-laws who are also mothers.

Jesus had a special relationship with the Father. But he also had a special relationship with Mary, His mother. It was at her behest that He performed His first miracle in Cana. In the end, when almost everybody left Him to die alone, Mary was one of the very few who stayed until the bitter end. And even at that moment, Jesus had only tender thoughts for His mother as He entrusted her to the care of the beloved disciple.

I often wonder about the Marian apparitions throughout the ages and in many different places. There are nine major apparitions officially recognized by the Church; but there are many more venerated in different places by different communities.  And these places easily become magnets for pilgrimage to come in droves to honor Mary as Mother of Jesus, Mother of God and Mother of the Holy Church.

Happy Mothers’ Day to all Mothers, including God.

The Lord has revealed to the nations his saving power.
~ Psalm 98

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.” 
John 15:9-17

Posted in Photography | Tagged | Comments Off on God the Mother

It Is Never About Being Easy

Posted on May 9, 2015 by Spirit Moments

The commandment of Jesus to love is so self-evident it should be readily accepted by almost everybody. And yet today, His followers are being persecuted and executed in many parts of the world like never before. And many of those of profess to follow Him are hardly the loving and giving people Christ wants His followers to be. G.K. Chesterton once wrote, “Christianity has not been tried and found wanting; it has been found difficult and not tried.”

Often, it is difficult to get out of one’s self to love and serve others. It is a lot easier just to look out for one’s self only.

Often, it is difficult to forgive those who have hurt us and even more so to turn the other cheek. It is a lot easier and sweeter to plot revenge and get even – in a distorted sense of justice.

Often, it is difficult to be humble and given to anger. It is a lot easier to let raw passion and hatred to rule our actions.

One of the things that life has taught me is that nothing good or of value has ever come easy. If it is worth having or worth doing, it is by the sweat of our brows that we get and attain it. The ultimate demonstration of this truth is the fact that there can be no resurrection without the crucifixion.

Let all the earth cry out to God with joy.
~ Psalm 100

Jesus said to his disciples:
“If the world hates you, realize that it hated me first.
If you belonged to the world, the world would love its own;
but because you do not belong to the world,
and I have chosen you out of the world,
the world hates you.
Remember the word I spoke to you,
‘No slave is greater than his master.’
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you.
If they kept my word, they will also keep yours.
And they will do all these things to you on account of my name,
because they do not know the one who sent me.”
John 15:18-21

Posted in Discipleship, Faith | Tagged | 1 Comment

And That Is Why You Are My Friend

Posted on May 8, 2015 by Spirit Moments

You are my friend because
I was alone and all by myself,
And you came along to draw me
out of my loneliness.
And all of a sudden,
the world around me became a scene
of many vibrant colors,
of different wonderful sounds,
of delightful tastes and aromas.
You did nothing particular that I remember
but you changed my world just being in it.
That is why you are my friend.

You are my friend because
I was lost in self-absorption,
sometimes sorry for myself,
sometimes stoically accepting who I am.
You helped me realize
all the goodness in me waiting to be realized,
all the beauty wanting to be expressed,
all the truth aching to be proclaimed.
Yes, I have changed because of you.
And I have changed for the better.
That is why you are my friend.

You are my friend because
You know the melody I am singing
even when I can’t sing the tune.
You give me the lyrics of the song
especially when I am at a loss for words.
You know my heart when I am deliriously happy.
You know my heart when I am moody and crabby.
You know my heart specially when I am in the depths of misery.
For you know the tears are there even before they start to show.
And with out, my tears can flow
freely,
unabashedly,
unrestrainedly.
You do nothing.
You say nothing.
You only stay.
That is why you are my friend.

You are my friend because,
while we may be one and the same in many respects,
you respect my uniqueness and never intrude.
We share many things but
you respect that deepest part of me that is mine and mine alone.
In that deepest core, it is only I and my God.
And in the sanctity of our friendship,
you have never trespassed on my Sacred Space,
my Holy of Holies.
And that is why you are my friend.

You are my friend and
I bless the day that you came my way.
I thank God for the gift of you in my life.
I thank God for the wealth of insights I have learned from you.
I thank God for giving me a glimpse of heaven through our friendship.
and most of all, I thank God for revealing Himself to me through you.
And that is why you are my friend.

I will give you thanks among the peoples, O Lord.
~ Psalm 57

Jesus said to his disciples:
“This is my commandment: love one another as I love you.
No one has greater love than this,
to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.
You are my friends if you do what I command you.
I no longer call you slaves,
because a slave does not know what his master is doing.
I have called you friends,
because I have told you everything I have heard from my Father.
It was not you who chose me, but I who chose you
and appointed you to go and bear fruit that will remain,
so that whatever you ask the Father in my name he may give you.
This I command you: love one another.”
John 15:12-17

Posted in Encounter, Friendship, Relationships | Tagged , | Comments Off on And That Is Why You Are My Friend

Joy and Love

Posted on May 7, 2015 by Spirit Moments

Joy is an abiding sense of well-being that suffuses a person who truly loves. Joy is not about carousing or wild revelry; although it could be that sometimes. Joy is more a like a smile even when things are rough and not going right. Or, a touch from a loved one when one is feeling low and lonely. There can be joy in tears just as it is there when there is laughter. There can be joy in pain as exquisite as the joy one experiences in pleasures.

Christ said to abide in His love so that our joy may be complete. I took St. Paul’s description of love in his letter to the Corinthians and substituted ‘joy’ wherever ‘love’ appeared. The result is inspiring and truly enlightening.

Joy is patient, joy is kind and is not jealous; joy does not brag and is not arrogant, does not act unbecomingly; it does not seek its own, is not provoked, does not take into account a wrong suffered, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, but rejoices with the truth; bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Joy never fails; but if there are gifts of  prophecy, they will be done away; if there are tongues, they will cease; if there is knowledge, it will be done away.

Proclaim God’s marvelous deeds to all the nations.
~ Psalm 96

Jesus said to his disciples:
“As the Father loves me, so I also love you.
Remain in my love.
If you keep my commandments, you will remain in my love,
just as I have kept my Father’s commandments
and remain in his love.

“I have told you this so that
my joy might be in you and
your joy might be complete.”
John 15:9-11

Posted in Love | Tagged | Comments Off on Joy and Love