Carrying Our Crosses

Gospel: Mt 10:34 – 11:1

Do not think that I have come to establish peace on earth. I have not come to bring peace, but a sword. For I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. Each one will have as enemies, those of one’s own family.

Whoever loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me. And whoever loves son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me. And whoever does not take up his cross and follow me, is not worthy of me. Whoever finds his life will lose it; but whoever loses his life, for my sake, will find it.

Whoever welcomes you, welcomes me; and whoever welcomes me, welcomes him who sent me. The one who welcomes a prophet, as a prophet, will receive the reward of a prophet; the one who welcomes a just man, because he is a just man, will receive the reward of a just man. And if anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones, because he is my disciple, I assure you, he will not go unrewarded.”

When Jesus had finished giving his twelve disciples these instructions, he went on from there, to teach and to proclaim his message in their towns.

Reflection:

More things are piled up on the shoulders of those who choose to follow Jesus. It is as if pressures are calibrated to keep pace with our growing strengths. There seems to be no end in sight to all possible discomfort and pain one must be willing to take in order to be a disciple of Jesus. These probably are told in advance so that there will be no blaming afterwards when the going gets rough on the road to discipleship. Jesus wants His disciples to be wide- eyes with what they are signing into. He does not promise a life on a bed of roses. What He promises is a victorious glorious life in the end. He or she who desires that life must be ready to pay for what will happen in between.

Here in our Gospel of St. Matthew, Jesus talks about His final instructions to his apostles. Here, we see that to be an apostle of Jesus, we must be ready to make sacrifices. Jesus is telling us that if we love other people more – even those dear to us, such as our parents and children – then we are not worthy of Jesus Christ. Jesus tells us that there will be times when we have to give up our own life for the sake of His Kingdom.

In other words, and in summary, we, as followers of Jesus Christ, must learn how to carry our own crosses. We have a lot of trials and difficulties in life, and we consider them as our crosses. But the most unbearable and hardest cross to carry is the cross of our own life, the cross of our own selves. ‘Yon daw po ang pinakamabigat na krus na buhatin, ‘yong krus ng ating pagkatao. Marami tayong mga pagkakamali, marami tayong mga pagkukulang at mga kakulangan. Pero itong mga kakulangang ito ang dapat nating laging pilit na binabago at pinapasan na aayon sa turo ng Ebanghelyo.

Maraming tao ang hindi na marunong magsakripisyo. Maraming tao ang ayaw nang makaranas ng sakit. They don’t like pain. One of the titles of a book of a certain author, best summarizes for us the problem of our own crosses. And the title is “The Pain of Being Human”. Napakahirap maging tao, mas lalo na ang magpakatao. Pero kung tunay na Kristiyano at tunay na mga anak ng Diyos ang turing natin sa ating sarili, kahit na anong bigat ay kakayanin nating pasanin.

Pero kadalasan, ‘yong pagkatao natin na madali tayong manghusga, madali tayong magparatang, ‘yong ating pagkakalat ng mga hindi magagandang bagay ukol sa ibang tao, ay sadyang napakahirap tanggalin sa ating sarili. Kung tayo ay nais maging alagad ng Diyos, maging kasunod ni Kristo, kailangang tayo ay maging banal.

Iisa lamang ang panawagan ng bokasyon sa ating lahat. Kahit tayo ay pari, relihiyoso, layko, may asawa o wala, iisa lang ang panawagan. Tayo ay maging banal, dahil ang ating Panginoong Diyos ay ganap at banal.

Source: Anonymous

The Relinquished Life

I am crucified with Christ. – Galatians 2:20

No one is ever united with Jesus Christ until he is willing to relinquish not sin only, but his whole way of looking at things. To be born from above of the Spirit of God means that we must let go before we lay hold, and in the first stages it is the relinquishing of all pretence. What Our Lord wants us to present to Him is not goodness, nor honesty, nor endeavor, but real solid sin; that is all He can take from us.  And what does He give in exchange for our sin? Real solid righteousness. But we must relinquish all pretence of being any thing, all claim of being worthy of God’s consideration.

Then the Spirit of God will show us what further there is to relinquish. There will have to be the relinquishing of my claim to my right to myself in every phase. Am I willing to relinquish my hold on all I possess, my hold on my affections, and on everything, and to be identified with the death of Jesus Christ?

There is always a sharp painful disillusionment to go through before we do relinquish. When a man really sees himself as the Lord sees him, it is not abominable sins of the flesh that shock him, but the awful nature of the pride of his own heart against Jesus Christ. When he seems himself in the light of the Lord, the shame and the horror and the desperate conviction come home.

If you are up against the question of relinquishing, go through the crisis, relinquish all, and God will make you fit for all that He requires of you.

Oswald Chambers, My Utmost for His Highest

Someone Has Their Eye On You

There’s a young lady in Scripture by the name of Ruth. Ruth went through a great disappointment. Her husband was killed in a battle, and the future didn’t look very bright for her. She moved to a new city with her mother-in-law, Naomi. But instead of sitting around saying, “Poor old me” in self-pity, Ruth reached out and helped take care of Naomi. Not only that, she got up every morning very early and went out into the fields and gathered up the leftover wheat that the reapers had missed.

One day, the owner of that field noticed Ruth. His name was Boaz. He noticed how beautiful she was and what a hard worker she was. What’s interesting is that Ruth didn’t know anybody was watching her. She didn’t even know who Boaz was. She just kept working hard, doing her best, and caring for Naomi.

The point to think about today is that even though you may not realize it, somebody has their eyes on you. A supervisor is noticing your excellence. A manager is noticing your character. A friend is noticing your faithfulness. If you are single, you may think there is nobody to meet, but you don’t know who God is about to bring into your life. You don’t know who has their eyes on you.

Long story short, Ruth and Boaz fell in love and ended up getting married. Ruth no longer had to work in the field – she owned the field! Like Ruth you may have gone through a difficult time, but let me tell you, God has another Boaz out there. God has already lined up somebody to notice you, somebody to befriend you, somebody to promote you, somebody to make your life more fulfilled. That disappointment was not the end. It’s a new beginning. It may have been a setback, but God has already lined up the right people to help you come back. Trust and believe that God has His best in store. He has the opportunities lined up; He has good breaks and favor in store for your future. He has the right people in the right positions ready to give you a hand up. Always remember that someone has their eye on you!

“…She asked him, ‘Why have I found such favor in your eyes that you notice me – a foreigner?’ Boaz replied, I’ve been told all about what you have done for your mother-in-law since the death of your husband – how you left your father and mother and your homeland and came to live with a people you did not know before. May the Lord repay you for what you have done. May you be richly rewarded by the Lord, the God of Israel, under whose wings you have come to take refuge.” (Ruth 2:10-12, NIV)

It’s Never Too Late

“But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day.” (2 Peter 3:8, NIV)

Have you ever thought, “It’s too late for me?” That’s what two sisters in the scripture thought, Mary and Martha. Their brother, Lazarus, was extremely sick. They sent word to their good friend, Jesus, to come to their city and pray for him. A day went by and Jesus didn’t show up. They asked the messengers, “Did you tell Jesus it was us?” “Yes, we told Him.” “Did you explain how sick Lazarus was?” “We explained it to Him.” They couldn’t understand why Jesus wouldn’t come immediately. Lazarus ended up dying. Four days later, Jesus showed up. Mary said, “Jesus, if you had been here sooner, my brother would still be alive.”

Have you ever felt like God showed up too late? If He’d just got there a little sooner, maybe things would have worked out. That’s the way these sisters felt. But Jesus spoke to Lazarus, and he came back to life.

The sisters wanted Jesus to come and heal their brother. But Jesus wasn’t thinking about a healing, He was thinking about a resurrection. A healing would have been good, but Jesus had something better in mind. Always remember, God has another option. No matter how bad your circumstances look, it’s never too late with Him!

A Prayer for Today

Father, today I choose to trust your timing. I trust that my days are in Your hands. I ask that You breathe life into my circumstances as I give You the glory for everything in Jesus Name. Amen.

#blessing

Leviticus 26: 4-5, 9-10, 12-13

4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land. 4 I will send you rain in its season, and the ground will yield its crops and the trees of the field their fruit. 5 Your threshing will continue until grape harvest and the grape harvest will continue until planting, and you will eat all the food you want and live in safety in your land.

9 “I will look on you with favor and make you fruitful and increase your numbers, and I will keep my covenant with you. 10 You will still be eating last year’s harvest when you will have to move it out to make room for the new.

12 I will walk among you and be your God, and you will be my people. 13 I am the LORD your God, who brought you out of Egypt so that you would no longer be slaves to the Egyptians; I broke the bars of your yoke and enabled you to walk with heads held high.

Questions for discussion: 

1. What is God’s outpouring in your life right now?

2. What are you thankful for?

Being an Example of His Message

Preach in the word! 2 Timothy 4:2

We are not saved only to be instruments for God, but to be His sons and daughters. He does not turn us into spiritual agents but into spiritual messengers, and the message must be a part of us. The Son of God was His own message- “The words that I speak to you are spirit, and they are life” (John 6:63). As His disciples, our lives must be a holy example of the reality of our message. Even the natural heart of the unsaved will serve if called upon to do so, but it takes a heart broken by conviction of sin, baptized by the Holy Spirit, and crushed into submission to God’s purpose to make a person’s life a holy example of God’s message.

There is a difference between giving a testimony and preaching. A preacher is someone who has received the call of God and is determined to use all his energy to proclaim God’s truth. God takes us beyond our own aspirations and ideas for our lives, and molds and shapes us for His purpose, just as He worked in the disciples’ lives after Pentecost. The purpose of Pentecost was not to teach the disciples something, but to make them the incarnation of what they preached so that they would literally become God’s message in the flesh. “… you shall be witnesses to Me …. “ (Act 1:8)

Allow God to have complete liberty in your life when you speak. Before God’s message can liberate other people, His liberation must first be real in you. Gather your material carefully, and then allow God to “set your words on fire” for His glory.

Questions for discussion:

1. What inspires your Christian Spirit/ What led/leads you to live a life in the Spirit?
2. Everyday, how do you try to live your life as an example of His message?

Singleness

When you feel loved, hardship is easier. And pleasing your partner is to your advantage – because their happiness is your happiness. There is no doubt that if you are not one of the few people designed for a single lifestyle, having a partner can be a great comfort – though marriage has its own problems.

The single person does not have the higher purpose that the married person has in terms of a partner and speaking from personal experience, this can make motivation quite tough. Just saying your motivation is the Lord’s work does not always help! Working hard and enduring hardships can seem pointless when you’re single – I know! The most important thing for a single person to remember is the highest purpose of all – God – and to stay focused and work hard where they’re at, so that when opportunity arises, it’s ready to be embraced.

See singles as positive! Enjoy now and reach your potential! Many married people never have a chance to properly develop important characteristics as their stability and confidence becomes tied up in their partner early on. Meeting your perfect partner unprepared or too early is not desirable so single is the best time to develop character and confidence. This is the time to improve all areas of your life by effectively communicating with as many different as possible!

And last… rarely can someone delight in the Lord when their whole being desires a partner and it seems like a slap in the face to suggest they should. But it’s often the gripping desire that actually stops us from receiving what we want in life – nott just with relationships. And it’s never because God doesn’t want us to have good things. The old cliche is “you don’t give a Ferrari to a ten year old”. A certain knowledge and stability is required to drive the car and get the most from it. It’s the same with a job, and more importantly a partner. God doesn’t give his children gifts they’re not ready to handle. Instead he chooses to ride the storm with us, giving us only what we need. Although sometimes painful, it’s often when we give up the fight and our desires to him, that we begin to relax, stat looking outward, and generally without realizing it become more trusting, attractive, stable and ultimately ready for bigger things.

You will notice that the rest of the world gets its wants, when it wants – and God always makes an example of this – a price is always paid. Any kind of riches outside the kingdom of God goes bad on us eventually. There is no substitute for receiving things at the right time so we should hand our desires over to Him!

Source: Anonymous

How do you know if you are blessed?

If you own just one Bible… you are abundantly blessed. 1/3 of the world does not have access to even one.

If you woke up this morning with more health than illness… you are more blessed than the 1,000,000 who will not survive the week.

If you have never experienced the danger of battle, the loneliness of imprisonment, the agony of torture, or the pangs of starvation… you are blessed ahead of 500 million people around the world.

If you attend a church meeting without fear of harassment, arrest, torture, or death… you are more blessed than 3 billion people in the world.

If you have food in your refrigerator, clothes on your back, a roof over your head and a place to sleep… how blessed you are! You are richer then 75% of this world.

If you have money in the bank, in your wallet, and spare change in a dish somewhere… you are among the top 8% of the world’s wealthy.

If your parents are still married and alive, you are very rare, you are blessed.

If you hold up your head with a smile on your face and are truly thankful… you are blessed because the majority can, but most do not.

If you can hold someone’s hand, hug them, or even touch them on the shoulder… you are blessed because you can offer God’s healing touch.

If you prayed yesterday and today, you are in the minority because you believe in God’s willingness to hear and answer prayer.

If you believe in Jesus as the Son of God… you are blessed! Your understanding of love comes from giving; you are part of a growing minority.

If you can read this message… you are mode blessed than over 2 billion people in the world that cannot read anything at all.

If you can pass this along… you will be blessed for sharing God’s love and Jesus gifts with others.

Source: M&E Household Discussion Topic 4/28/03

God’s Blueprint for Singles

Why do people stay single?

Pressures of Family. Many singles are led to shoulder family responsibilities due to financial needs in the home, broken families, irresponsible parents, untimely death of parents and big families. Many singles are driven to work hard and even postpone or sacrifice their own personal plans and happiness to provide food on the table and education for their younger siblings.

Lack of Ambition or Direction in Life. There are single women and men who have been so greatly influenced by  overprotective parents that they become financially and emotionally dependent on them. They are afraid to decide for themselves, socialize, make plans for their future and run after their personal dreams.

Excessively driven by Ambition and Independence. The temporary success brought about by their careers gives single people financial freedom and independence that they delay marriage and fear commitment. This provides a measure of comfort, control and escape. Fear to take risks and make mistakes in getting into a  permanent, lasting and stable love relationship with someone may take over.

Fear of Relationships. Brokenness caused by previous relationships have marred their vision of marriage and have affected the way they relate to the opposite sex. They are suspicious, defensive and cynical of people who reach out to them to offer their friendship. They prefer to explore intimate relationship only with those of the same sex. Though they have so much to offer, scars and wounds have chained them from freely discovering and finding true love.

Endlessly Waiting for Miss or Mister Right. Their happiness is dependent on whether they are in a relationship now or not. They are also so meticulous or unforgiving of shortcomings they fail to see the potential and promise of lasting friendship with others. They constantly try to learn how to catch Miss or Mister Right that they end up criticizing or passing judgments on people they meet. They spend most of their time looking for the person who will make them feel secure and happy. They put so much emphasis on marriage that it has become their end all and be all. Only marriage can truly make them happy and complete.

 

God’s blueprint for Singles

God’s plan for you is to live a life of purpose and meaning even if you are alone at this time in your life. Yet, the evil one wants to take away your hope and  faith in God. And he will succeed if you indulge in your own feelings of being depressed, afraid, anxious, unloved, ugly and unwanted.

The evil one wants you to remain broken, shattered, unhappy and lonely. As a result, you punish yourself with self-inflicted pain. Satan will put you down into the pit of self-destruction until you find yourself making other peoples lives difficult as well.

God’s plan is for the best. He is committed to making you realize your full potential and experience the fullness in this life. He intended for you a lifetime of passion, excitement, challenges and purpose. There is no need to put your plans on hold just because you are single and waiting for a spouse.

You can claim God’s promise for your future. And He is committed to see it happen! He knows the exact timing for every love story, every perfect moment and every dream that you have! He is enthusiastic about your personal hopes and desires! He is deeply absorbed in seeing you stand up and run to pursue your dreams!

So many single people do not decisively fight for their faith and  convictions. In the same way that they lack strength and endurance to fight for the love of their life. In the end, they miss out and react by blaming other people and themselves endlessly.

Beginning today, offer to God his special area of great excitement for you. Let Him be the writer and author of this great love story! God is assuring you to live each day with the joy of knowing that God has your best intentions in His heart! He loves you deeply that He’s so excited to see you each day with sparkle in your eyes, with smart confidence in your poise, with that smile on your voice and with love and passion in your heart!

Source: Anonymous

The Unique Mystery of the Eucharist

Gospel: Mt 11:25–30

On that occasion, Jesus said, “Father, Lord of heaven and earth, I praise you; because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to simple people. Yes, Father, this was your gracious will. Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father; and no one knows the Father except the Son, and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble of heart; and you will find rest. For my yoke is easy; and my burden is light.”

Reflection:

What a blessed for us to end this day, in the presence of Christ, when Jesus Christ again offers himself to the Father. Jesus is once again facing His Father to summarize the day and in that sacrifice, all of you here are included, including myself. This is the unique mystery of the Eucharist. Jesus sums up the giftedness in the life in a day of a Christian.

The Gospel reminds us of a mysterious God who was sent to us. Blessed be God. You are simply someone we could not fully understand, and yet we know You love us. You have revealed the mysteries of heaven to the childlike. What a prayer of thanks of Jesus, praising His Father for understanding, revealing the wealth of heaven, the beauty of the Kingdom of love, and for opening His heart through the eyes of children. We have to be childlike as we heard in Jesus’ opening praise and prayer of thanks. We have to be childlike to realize that there is a God, to recognize God. There must be simplicity in the person who will be ready to know God.

At this point, I want to relate to you a story that took place in another country. A mother went to church together with her little daughter, a toddler, 3 or 4 years old. And while in the church, the toddler was jumping, making noise, going under the pews. And her mother, pointing to the tabernacle, said, “Shhhh….Jesus is there.” But the toddler continued jumping, to the annoyance of the other churchgoers. And so the mother said, “You better shut up, because Jesus is there.” Then the child was quiet. The mass continued, and the child sat there.

When the mass was over, the mother said, “Ok, let’s now go home. The mass is finished.” But the child won’t stand. “Come, let’s go home”, the mother insisted. But the child won’t leave her seat and said, “No!” So the mother asked, “Why?” The child said, “I want to see Jesus.” The child took the word of the mother that Jesus was there. Now the child insisted, “I want to see Jesus.”

The child was now making a riot, and the next mass is already to begin. And so, the mother approached the priest and said, “Father, my child does not want to go home.” The priest asked why. “She said she wants to see Jesus.” The priest then took the child in his arms, walked to the tabernacle and said, “Jesus is there.” And the child said, “Is Jesus really there?” “Yes”, the priest said. Then the child asked the priest to open the tabernacle. When the priest opened it, the child saw the ciborium, containing the consecrated host. “Where is Jesus?” And the priest replied, “He is there…hiding for you.” “Really?” “But when you grow up, you will begin to see Him. Because when you grow up, your eyes will grow up with your head, and you will see Jesus more….around you. You are going to see, and feel and experience Jesus. Alright, you can now go home with your mother. And when you grow up, you will see Jesus.” So you think that is the end of the story? (laughs) Twenty-five years later, that girl became a nun, a sister. She must have seen Jesus in many ways. In her work, in the jeepney, on the bus. In the people staring at her, she must have seen Jesus.

Father, I thank you…that you have revealed the things of heaven to the childlike. Jesus’ prayer is a beautiful thing to remember in that particular episode in the life of Jesus….thanking the Father. Many people, like that girl, have experienced Jesus. Maybe there are people here who have experienced Jesus. In their moments of pain, in their moments of need, when they go home and see that their house is topsy-turvy, or they are in trouble. You are looking for Jesus. Like the child, you may not understand, but later, you must have felt Jesus.

How many people have come here? With sorrow in their hearts, disappointment in their work, betrayed by their friends. How many people have come here, from their shopping or what? Were they not looking for Jesus? Are we not looking for Jesus? Hindi ba natin hinahanap si Hesus? Why?

I’ll tell you what. It’s dangerous. Really, I tell you, it’s dangerous to see Jesus, to meet Jesus. Peligroso ang makilala si Hesus. Bakit? He is going to turn your world upside down. So beware. Once you know Jesus, you will love Him. There’s no one like Him, as the face of God on earth. God has a human face, and He is a face you are going to love, when you see Him, when you experience Him. You will love Him. It is dangerous when you fall in love with Jesus. He will disturb you.

Sometimes, we take for granted the Beatitudes. That’s precisely a revolution of values. Happy are those who are poor. What? What are you saying – the poor are blessed? Happy are those who weep. What? Happy are those who experience injustices. What? Don’t you see that Jesus is beginning to disturb my values and yours? Delikado pala ang makakilala kay Hesus.

Maybe that girl, between the time when she was toddler and making trouble in the church, until she was 28 years old and became a nun, I bet you, there were moments when that girl was disturbed. She passed by adolescence and became a young professional. 25 years is one-fourth of a century. Sigurado ako that that girl was disturbed; Jesus disturbed her. But that is precisely the mystery of knowing Jesus.

And you know? That is exactly what our Mother of Perpetual Help is saying. “You go to my Son.” Remember the historic marriage in Cana? Mary was the first one so sensitive to find out that the couple was in trouble. “Go to my Son, and do whatever He tells you to do.” And adding something to Mary’s words, ‘Go and be friends with my Son. Go – if you want, love Him. Kung gusto mo, mahalin mo Siya. But…you will do what He tells you to do.”

When people like you would want to know more about Jesus. Knowing Jesus, I know that all of us – you and I – will love Him. Enjoy that love that gives us strength. Ask the good Lord – unworthy and as little as we are, allow us to love You more with others.